Tata Economic Consultancy Services to prepare offshore maritime policy draft
Mumbai: Indian National Shipowners' Association has roped in Tata Economic Consultancy Services for assistance in preparing the draft offshore maritime policy, which is likely to be ready by early next month.

The draft maritime policy would be first of its kind in the world, as there was no model prevailing for offshore maritime policy. This will be a unique one where TECS will need to set up its own premises for research, INSA officials have pointed out.

INSA officials said that offshore activities were gaining prominence as more and more shipping entities were entering this field. Earlier, the Ministry of Shipping had set up a working group to draft an offshore maritime policy and INSA was advised to prepare the rough draft of the policy.
Back to News Review index page  

Chinese auto components may power Tata's people's car
Beijing: Tata Motors Limited has said that it is trying out Chinese auto components for its promised entry-level car with Rs. one lakh price tag.

The company has said that it has already been sourcing Chinese auto components for some six months now. Chinese auto parts, which are cheaper by 30 to 40 per cent, could be key to the company's efforts to launch the Rs. one-lakh car in India, according to company officials. The company is also sourcing a whole lot of engineering goods for companies under the Tata Group as well as for non-Tata companies from China.

Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata had undertaken his first official visit to China in January this year to consider options available to the company to venture into the booming Communist nation.

Tata Motors Limited is also planning to launch the 1400cc Indica family car in China "very soon" and was closely evaluating the best options to penetrate into the world's fastest growing auto market.

The company is also looking at launching a range of commercial vehicles in China as part of the plans to go global, senior company executives have indiocated.
Back to News Review index page  

AI issues global tenders for six aircraft
New Delhi: Air India has issued global tenders for dry-leasing of six Boeing 747-400s for delivery between April and October next year. These tenders have been issued by Air India to add capacity and replace its leased aircraft.

According to the tender documents, three of these aircraft are 747-400 Combis with a seating capacity of between 220 and 300. All the three Combis would be leased for three years.

Three others are passenger aircraft with 389 seats in a three-class configuration. These passenger planes would be leased for a period of one to three years.

Air India has sought delivery of two of the Combi aircraft between April 15 and June 15 next year. The third Combi was required to be delivered in October. Out of the three passenger aircraft, one would be delivered between April 15 and June 15, 2005. The airline wanted two 747-400s to be delivered between October and November next year.
Back to News Review index page  

Motorola and Sony to manufacture mobiles locally
New Delhi: The Department of Telecom has said that international telecom vendors Motorola and Sony Ericsson are going to follow in the footsteps of Nokia and LG and set up handset manufacturing facilities in India. Nokia, Samsung and LG have already announced plans to also set up plants in India to meet booming demand in the world's fastest-growing wireless market.

More than 37 million handsets are likely to be sold in India in 2005, with the annual number rising to 50 million by 2008. Nokia has said it would invest between 100 and 150 million dollars over four years, while LG is expected to invest about 60 million dollars to manufacture handsets here.

Nokia's plant is expected to commence operations towards the end of 2005 or early 2006.
Back to News Review index page  

Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris seeks Indian travellers
Mumbai: The Hotel Plaza Athénée, a top-of-the-line French hotel, has sent its representatives to India, with the express purpose of meeting up with travel agents and prospective customers, in an attempt to draw more Indians visitors.

The hotel boasts of the most hip address in the French capital and is located on the Avenue Montaigne, also home to designers such as Christian Dior, Chanel, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. Since opening its doors in 1911, the Plaza Athénée has hosted international celebrities, politicians, and even royalty, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, Naomi Campbell and Aishwarya Rai.

The hotel, which is built in the form of a palace, has 188 luxury rooms and suites with an average room rent of $680 per night. The suites could cost up to $1,300 per night.

The high-end Indian traveller, is already spending about 1,000 room nights each year at the hotel, making up about three per cent of the total, forming the second largest group from Asia at the hotel, with the Japanese accounting for six per cent share of the market.

The hotel combines the modern with the traditional, presenting a stylish yet comfortable home away from home for the frequent traveller. Each of the rooms and suites has their own individual style and character, distinguishing them from other deluxe hotels where the rooms are all alike.

A member of the "Leading hotels of the world," the Plaza Athénée belongs to the Dorchester group, which has three other hotels under its umbrella, namely, the Dorchester in London, Hotel Meurice, also in Paris, and the Beverly Hills Hotel in California.

In 2003, the French Mission in India (the French Embassy in Delhi and the two Consul-Generals in Mumbai and Pondicherry) issued about 80,000 French visas, which was about 30 per cent more than that in the year 2002. There has been a further 30 per cent increase in the number of visas issued this year.
Back to News Review index page