Turkish ports set historical records following the Red Sea crisis
Following the Red Sea crisis, the functionality of ports in the Marmara Region for transit and the swift action of maritime companies in establishing alternative routes to the region under attack, brought records for Turkish ports.
As the crisis caused by the attacks on commercial ships by the Houthis in the Red Sea deepened in the global supply chain, Turkish ports, especially prominent in transit transport during this period, set a historical record in container traffic. In February, the total container handling volume increased by 40%, approaching 1.2 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) on a monthly basis for the first time, while the increase rate in transit containers exceeded 100%.
According to data from the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs, the container volume handled at Turkish ports in February 2024 increased by 38.9% compared to the same month of the previous year, reaching 1,167,210 TEUs. Thus, the container volume handled at ports during the January-February period of this year increased by 18.9% compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching 2,180,972 TEUs.
In February, the loading of export-oriented containers at ports increased by 31.4% compared to the same month of the previous year, reaching 434,471 TEUs, while the unloading of containers for imports increased by 21.8% compared to the same month of the previous year, reaching 406,028 TEUs. The highest increase in cargo volume occurred in transit container handling last month. The transit container volume handled at ports in February increased by 109.3% compared to the same month of the previous year, reaching 267,207 TEUs.
TURKEY PERFORMED WELL IN THE CRISIS
President of the Turkey Port Operators Association (TÜRKLİM), stated that the Turkish maritime sector had turned the Red Sea crisis into an opportunity, saying, “Turkey performed very well in the Red Sea crisis. The ability of our business people, which I define as ‘intellectual flexibility’ specific to our geography, to adapt quickly was evident in this crisis. We evaluated the process well, and our ports set records.”
The rapid rise in transit cargo traffic at Asyaport in Tekirdağ was one of the main factors in Turkey’s February record for ports. Asyaport, in which the global maritime giant MSC is a partner, broke Turkey’s monthly record by handling over 206,000 TEUs in February. Asyaport, Turkey’s largest transit container port, experienced significant increases in business volume following the attacks in the Red Sea. In addition to Asyaport, Ambarlı and Aliağa ports were among the other ports highlighted during the crisis in the Red Sea. Aliağa also took a share from Pire, one of Greece’s largest ports but insufficient in capacity due to congestion.
EXPORTS TO MIDDLE EAST ACCELERATED
First, MSC Turkey bypassed Yemen where the attacks were taking place and launched a new service to deliver Turkish products to Gulf countries. Within this scope, the company delivers cargoes collected from Tekirdağ, Derince, and Mersin ports to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Port with medium-sized vessels crossing the Suez Canal and then delivers them to other Gulf countries such as Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and the UAE by trucks. Then, two local operators, Medkon and Turkon, launched a new service called the Red Sea Express Service/Turkey Red Sea Service (RSX/TRS). The new service operates on the İskenderun-Mersin-Jeddah-Aqaba route. General Manager of MSC Turkey, said, “Services from China, the USA, and the EU to the Middle East were established later compared to services opened from Turkey. This also provided an advantage to Turkey. March is also busy. As MSC, our Red Sea shipments increased by 100% on an annual basis in the January-March period.” General Manager of Medkon, emphasized that their shipments to the Middle East were going very well and said that they made new ship investments to meet the increasing demand. The company expanded its fleet with two ships this month.
