Page 24: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 2015)

COUNTRY FOCUS: TURKEY

Turkey Alive & Kicking

By Joseph R. Fonseca ocated on the periphery of cording to the four seas rimming Turkey political, geographical and strategic situ- of January 2013). The average age of two great continents, Turkey is: ation of Turkey. these ships is 26.5 years of which that of has bene? tted from being in - Black Sea 1,719 km (20.3%) Although the land of these straits the container ? eet and chemical tankers

La favored position right at the - Sea of Marmara 1,474 km (17.4%) belongs to Turkey, the water running are 11 years (as of January 2013). center of an assertive and fast growing - Aegean Sea 3,265 km (38.5%) through them and connecting the Black From 1980 the Turkish maritime in- economic area. This geographical loca- - Mediterranean 2,025 km (23.9%). Sea and the Aegean Sea is considered dustry has grown consistently. In fact, tion ? nds Turkey in a very favorable A little more than half of the popula- as international waters for freedom of the industry maintains its position as one position. Despite the general economic tion (50.8%) lives in coastal areas (i.e. navigation according to some authori- of the locomotive industries of the coun- recession, the country’s shipping ports 37,965 million out of 74,724 million). ties. For instance, an annual total of 60 try. While the size of its shipping ? eet and shipbuilding sectors have faced And more than half of this coastal popu- million tonnes of crude oil is carried by has continued to grow the Turkish ship- challenges resolutely and expanded con- lation lives along the Sea of Marmara. vessels through these straits. With 90% owners being able to gain greater access sistently. The straits of Bosphorus and Darda- of Turkish foreign trade being carried by to funding were able to modernize their

With a coastline of approximately nelles and the Sea of Marmara in the sea, shipping has been one of the more ? eet signi? cantly. 8,483 km, (1,067 km of which are is- northwest of Turkey where the European signi? cant industries with direct impact The Turkish ship owners clearly pre- land shores) Turkey is situated to the and Asian continents meet, are known as upon the country’s economy. fer to ? ag out using offshore registries southeast of Europe, south of the former the Turkish straits. In addition, the Black The Turkish merchant ? eet of 1,000 for the bene? ts of low taxation and crew

Soviet Union, northwest of the Middle Sea meets the Aegean Sea through these grt and above consists of 690 ships. costs. The ? agged out vessels operated

East and northeast of the Mediterranean straits, where Turkey and Greece have Three hundred and twenty three ships by Turkish operators are approximately

Sea where the European and Asian con- coastlines, and it then meets the Medi- (7.8 million DWT) have been acquired more than half of the national merchant tinents meet across the Turkish straits. terranean Sea. Therefore, the Turkish by importation and 367 ships (2.2 mil- ? eet and are mostly under various ? ags,

The distribution of the coastline ac- straits play an important role in the geo- lion DWT) have been built in Turkey (as such as Malta, Panama, Liberia, the Ba-

A cruise liner docked at the Port of Istanbul 24 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • MARCH 2015

MR #3 (18-25).indd 24 MR #3 (18-25).indd 24 3/3/2015 9:49:43 AM3/3/2015 9:49:43 AM