Turkey: Are Turkish ports good enough to cope with an export capacity of US$ 500 billion by 2023?

Turkey aims to increase its export figure to US$ 500 billion by 2023. The industry in the country has been developing very rapidly to parallel the substantially growing foreign trade figures.

In the past Turkey was a country with economy ratther based on agriculture and labor whereas today high-tech products provide the maximum contribution to the country’s economy.

Thus when the government has set a target figure of 500 billion dollars exportation by 2023 many experts believed it was quite realistic provided the fast economical growth is not interrupted.

The country has all the brain power, qualified labor and the technology to achieve its goals as due.

However there are also a few important shortcomings that need to be attended to such as insufficient capacity with existing ports in Turkey.

Leave alone the problems it would impose on Turkey in 2023, this issue has already been a handicap for the foreign trade of  the country.

Thus the picture is that when Turkey achieves the target of US$ 500 billion in 2023, the country is going to be in need of enough capacity to meet related quantities of goods to be transported.

The government is certainly aware of this need for extension and has planned to increase said capacity by 2,5 fold, bringing the figure from 54,2 million/year to 120 million tons annually, within the next 3-4 years.

So provided Turkey manages to stay on the right wave like the situation is today,  there is certainly no doubt this country is going to take its place among the top ten economies in the world by 2023.

The government having seen that this opportunity is very feasible and in fact achievable has not failed to get organized to take necassary steps to extend said capacity.

The construction at ÇANDARLI, one of the three ports to be built at first instance already started on May 15th 2011. This facility is supposed to be among 10 biggest ports in the world when completed. The construction is expected to finish in 900 days.

Work carried out for MERSIN and FILYOS is being accelerated. The total cost for these 3 ports is to total upto 4,4 billion euros.

When FILYOS is finished it is supposed to be the biggest port in Turkey.

However there is more capacity to come in the further future with Iskenderun, Derince and North Marmara ports which are not in the soonest agenda at the moment. With the inclusion of these three the capacity will go upto 144,5 million tons meaning the current figure will have been increased by 3 fold.

02.11.2011
Editor
BUSINESS TURKEY TODAY

EXISTING PORTS IN TURKEY

BLACK SEA PORTS

Hopa, Rize, Trabzon, Giresun, Ordu, Samsun, Samsun Tügsas, Zonguldak, K.Eregli, Erdemir, Bartin

MARMARA PORTS

Haydarpasa, Cubuklu Petrol Ofisi, Zeytinburnu TCDD, Ambarli Kumport, Ambarli Shipowners(Armaport), Ambarli Mardas, Ambarli Soyak, Ambarli Total, Terminals at Haramidere, Maltepe TCDD Pier, Cayirovasi Glass Factory, Gemlik Ports, Gemlik Municipal, Gemport, Bortrans Borusan, Gemlik Azot Tügsas, Gemlik MKS (Marmara Chemicals), Gemlik BP, Mudanya, Bandirma, Bandirma Bagfas, Edincik Etibank, Tekirdag Akport, Tekirdag Silo, Botas LNG Terminal, Martas, Canakkale Municipality, Canakkale Cement (Akcansa)

IZMIT BAY

Bay of Izmit, Aslan Cement (Lafarge), Diliskelesi Piers, Poliport (Polisan & Izmir Chemical), Colakoglu, Sedef, Alemdar, Altintel, Solventas, Kizilkaya, Total Gebze, Tavsancil Asphalt Plant, Diler-Ok, Nuh Cement, Gübretas Fertilizer, Molasses (Zülfikar), Rota & Körfez Municipality, Yarimca Piers, Petkim(Yarpet), Aygaz, Igsas Fertilizer, Tüpras Refinery, Camar, Derince Port, Rafine Chemical Plant, Terminals at Derince, Petrol Ofisi, Shell, Koruma, Transtürk, Seka, Limas/Pürsan/UM, Yalova Elyaf, Aksa (Akkum)

AEGEAN PORTS:

Dikili, Güllük, Nemrut Bay, Aliaga Total Terminal, Aliaga Petkim Terminal, Aliaga Tupras, Habas, Cukurova, Limas, Nemtas, Ege Fertilizer, Izmir, Kusadasi, SEKA Göcek Fethiye

MEDITERRANEAN PORTS

Antalya, Mersin, Mersin Tasucu, Mersin Seka, Iskenderun Bay, IskenderunPort, Sariseki Fertilizer, Toros Fertilizer, Ekinciler, Yazici, Isdemir, Delta Terminal, Botas Oil