In the maritime sector, which has grown tremendously since the foundation of the Republic in 1923, the annual amount of cargo handled in 2022 exceeded 542 million tons.
The Ottoman period has an important place in Turkish maritime history. As the industrial revolution began with the invention of steam engines, maritime was also taken to a different dimension. With the use of new systems on ships, ships gained navigability during winter months.
Ottoman maritime was also introduced to this technology in the late 1820s, and from 1840 onwards, the use of such technologies on ships became widespread. The use of ships in the commercial field as well as in war began to come to the fore.
When it came to the Republic period, it was seen that activities in the maritime field were low, and efforts were accelerated to increase the activities from a new perspective.
Turkiye’s fleet exceeded 250 thousand tons in 1938
In this context, by the end of 1927, the weight of the ships belonging to the Seyr-i Sefain Administration alone exceeded 64 thousand tons, almost 3 times the size of the 1923 fleet. Passenger transportation services were also enriched; Turkiye’s fleet, which was 179 thousand tons in total in 1932, exceeded 250 thousand tons in 1938.
A shipyard was opened in Tatvan and maritime activities in the region were increased.
A wagon transportation system was established between Tatvan and Van. A shipyard was opened in Tatvan and maritime activities in the region were increased. As of 1950, the number of ships larger than 18 gross tons was 2 thousand 197, and the total capacity increased to 534 thousand 876 tons.
Maritime Bank Turkish Joint Stock Partnership was established
Maritime Bank Turkish Joint Stock Partnership was established on March 1, 1952 to increase the needs and capabilities in the maritime field. The aim was to increase the capacity of cargo and passenger transportation and to develop ports and facilities.
Maritime activities, which increased with the efforts of the Maritime Bank, gained momentum in the 1980s. The competitive environment that emerged when the operating rights of the ports were given to the private sector by Turkiye Maritime Enterprises Inc. and the Republic of Turkiye State Railways (TCDD) also enabled the development of port activities.
There has been a tremendous growth in maritime, cargo and passenger transportation since the foundation of the Republic in 1923.
Maritime has experienced tremendous growth in cargo and passenger transportation since the foundation of the Republic in 1923. While the load carried by the Seyr-i Sefain Administration was 53 thousand 869 tons in 1923, today it has exceeded 392 million tons only as of October 2023. The annual amount of cargo handled in the maritime sector in 2022 exceeded 542 million tons.
Breakthroughs in maritime in the last 20 years
Both the maritime studies that started in the Ottoman period and the maritime sector developed by the Republic of Turkiye have made great strides in the last 20 years. The turnover in the sector in 2022 alone exceeded ₺531 billion.
During this period, the number of port facilities increased from 149 to 217. The number of shipyards, which was 37 in 2002, reached 84. There are also 156 boat manufacturing sites, 25 slipyards and 23 ship recycling facilities. The Turkish-owned merchant marine fleet has increased 4.4 times since 2002, exceeding 39 million deadweight. Turkish Straits Vessel Traffic Services System, which started service in 2004, was developed in line with technology and needs. By integrating radar, electro-optical camera and radar direction finder systems produced by ASELSAN, the domestic production rate was maximized.
The country achieved its goal of being on the white flag list in the Paris MoU in 2008. In 2021, only 1 Turkish flag ship was detained in 193 inspections carried out on Turkish flag ships.
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz