Turkish – Dutch maritime cooperation

The study Maritime Turkey: Market Research, conducted by Panteia, Bloem Doze Nienhuis and Dokuz Eylul University, looks into the opportunities presented by the rapid growth of Turkish ports and related sectors.

It concludes that in the fields of sustainable shipping, port development and fleet renewal there is potential for mutual benefits and growth. This includes opportunities for Dutch engineers and consultants, manufacturers and logistics partners.

Sandra van Putten, one of the researchers and authors of the study, told Maritime Journal: “The study gives an accurate view on how the Turkish maritime sector has evolved and what the main challenges are for the near future.”

“Turkey can benefit from the transfer of knowledge and hardware and upgrade their maritime sector and become more competitive as where the “delivering” party can establish a market position in Turkey. Investments in Turkish maritime sector could furthermore lead to more efficient and sustainable transport chains in Turkey, which is very much needed as growth figures shown that freight flows will increase with more than 350% within the coming 20 years.”

Terry van Velzen, chairman of the Maritime Hotspots Commission Istanbul and director of business development at Imtech Marine, recently presented the study to the Ambassador for the Netherlands in Turkey.

At the official presentation, Mr van Velzen said that there were also opportunities there for Turkey to modernise its short sea shipping fleet, in particular by investing in LNG and electrical power.

“This will not only prepare the fleet for new ECA environmental regulations for emissions, but in addition also reduce the fuel costs significantly for the operator. Last but not least, it will help the Turkish shipbuilding potential to export this innovative design to Russia and Western Europe,” he said.