Chennai, India
Sea freight in Chennai
We book FCL and LCL sea freight for shippers and consignees in Chennai, via Port of Chennai and Kattupalli. Pre-carriage, on-carriage by road or rail and the customs entries are planned together with the ocean booking.
Airports, seaports and connections in Chennai
- AirportChennai International
MAA - SeaportPort of Chennai and Kattupalli
Chennai International Airport (MAA) at Meenambakkam is the main air cargo gateway for Tamil Nadu, handling automotive parts, electronics, leather goods and perishables. Chennai is also one of the few Indian metros with its own deep-sea port: the Port of Chennai handles containers close to the city centre, while Kamarajar Port at Ennore and the Kattupalli terminal north of the city add container and automotive handling capacity. Together they serve the industrial belt west of the city and much of southern India, including Bengaluru.
NH48 connects Chennai with Sriperumbudur, Vellore and Bengaluru, NH16 runs north along the east coast towards Andhra Pradesh and Kolkata, and NH32 follows the coast south towards Puducherry. The Chennai Outer Ring Road and the Ennore-Manali port road link the factory clusters with the port terminals. Rail container services connect the port with inland depots in South India.
Operational logistics facts for Chennai
| Hub | Specialisation | Local advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Chennai International Airport (MAA) cargo terminal | Automotive parts, electronics, leather goods | Air freight under our own air waybills close to the Sriperumbudur corridor |
| Port of Chennai, Kamarajar Port (Ennore), Kattupalli | FCL/LCL, automotive and project cargo | Several deep-sea terminals within reach of the industrial belt |
| Sriperumbudur-Oragadam corridor | Car plants, tier suppliers, electronics | Pick-up and delivery arranged directly at plants |
| Vellore, Ambur and Ranipet | Leather and footwear exports | Export sea and air freight combined with customs documentation |
Industries in Chennai and how we support them
Chennai is known as the Detroit of India: carmakers and suppliers operate along the Sriperumbudur-Oragadam corridor, alongside electronics and mobile phone manufacturing and special economic zones such as Mahindra World City near Chengalpattu. The leather and footwear clusters around Vellore, Ambur and Ranipet export through Chennai. Ziem Logistics supports these supply chains with Next Flight Out for line-critical parts, air freight from MAA under our own air waybills, On-Board Courier for urgent components, FCL/LCL via Chennai and Kattupalli, and customs clearance by our partner team in the Ziem network.
From the port to your door in Chennai
We arrange collection of the container or the LCL cargo at Port of Chennai and Kattupalli, customs clearance and delivery to your site in the Chennai area. For exports we organise the pick-up and the delivery to the terminal before the cut-off.
Customs clearance in India
Ziem network
Customs clearance in India is handled by a partner team in the Ziem network, under the Ziem Logistics brand and to our procedures.
For air freight to and from India we issue our own air waybills.
Importers in India need an Importer-Exporter Code (IEC).
Frequently asked questions
Which port is used for sea freight to and from Chennai?
Usually Port of Chennai and Kattupalli. Depending on the shipping line and the destination, another port can be faster or more economical; we compare the options when quoting.