We often associate Turkey with its extraordinary tourist attractions. Few people know that international trade, dynamically increasing domestic consumption, and a rising level of foreign investment have created very favorable conditions for the development of logistics in this country. In the case of Turkey, its geographical location is an extremely important asset, which, combined with currently implemented and planned infrastructure investments, has earned the country the reputation of a kind of “logistics bridge” between Europe and the Middle East.
It is worth noting that Turkey ranks among the leaders in Europe in terms of the number of ro-ro vessels, the number of seaports already exceeds 150 (of which 73% are private ports), Turkish transport companies have a fleet of over 25,000 trucks, and civil aviation has recorded a huge growth of up to 250% in the last 4 years. These are just some of the facts testifying to the development potential of logistics.
Turkey’s transport network covers all branches of transport, including pipeline transport, as the BTC (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan) pipeline, over 1,070 km long, runs through the country’s territory. The dominant branch of transport is road transport. The total length of public roads is 413,000 km, of which 1,800 km are motorways. This branch of transport is used primarily for domestic cargo transport. The length of railway lines is currently 10,500 km, although only 20% of them are electrified. In September 2008, the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) announced a plan to restructure and expand the railway network by 2023. The cost of the investment was planned at 23.5 billion USD. One of the priorities of the plan is the strategy of building high-speed railways (one of the main lines will connect Izmir with Istanbul). Another investment important from the point of view of logistics is the announcement of the construction of a dozen or so intermodal terminals and logistics centers over the next 3 years, which are to be created as a result of the transformation or modernization of existing terminals. These projects are being developed on the initiative of the aforementioned Turkish State Railways and important economic organizations (The Businessmen’s Association TOBB and Istanbul Chamber of Trade ITO). Maritime transport has huge potential for the development of international trade. The length of Turkey’s coastline is almost 8,500 km, and the merchant fleet includes over 800 ships.
Recent years have brought dynamic development to the logistics services market. The leading logistics operators include Turkish companies: Arkas Denizcilik, Omsan, Barsan, Reysas, Borusan, Türksped, and Balnak. The leader is Balnak – a company employing over 1,500 people, possessing over 200,000 sq. m. of modern warehouse space, and providing logistics services for the automotive, electronic, and textile industries. Global brands such as DHL, TNT, Kuehne + Nagel, Schenker, and Panalpina are also present on the Turkish market.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 5/2009.