The capability of a significant port located in Türkiye’s southern province of Mersin is deliberate to be elevated from 2.6 million TEU to three.6 million TEU, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu introduced on Monday.
Under a brand new growth mission, the port, already taking part in a major position within the nation’s exports and connectivity would be capable to host even bigger ships than at current.
Mersin Port handles 22% of Türkiye’s exports in container cargo and seven% in typical cargo, Uraloğlu mentioned in a written assertion.
The port is an import and export gate for Türkiye’s central Anatolia, Mediterranean and southeastern Anatolia areas in addition to a transit heart for Middle Eastern international locations, the minister mentioned.
“The port is connected to the country and the Middle Eastern countries by land, air and rail. Mersin Port is the most important connection point to the leading industrial cities of Türkiye, as well as to Iraq, Syria and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries,” he added.
“We aim to get a larger share from the developing freight traffic of neighboring countries,” he additional famous.
Stressing that the Mersin Port performs an essential position within the nation’s maritime commerce, Uraloğlu mentioned that 31.45 million tons of cargo had been dealt with on the port in 2023, which accounted for six% of all cargo dealt with on the Turkish ports.
Emphasizing the strategic place of the port within the maritime sector, the minister identified that it attracted consideration with its profitable dealing with of 1.94 million TEU containers in 2023.
“The total amount of containers handled throughout our country was recorded as 12.55 million TEU and Mersin Port’s share in this area is 15.5%. Considering the performance of Mersin Port, the expansion project has gained importance to get a greater share of the sector,” he famous.
He additionally knowledgeable that presently, one mega-ship can dock on the EMH-I Terminal, which was put into service in 2016, and that with the EMH-II Project, the EMH-I dock might be prolonged by 380 meters (almost 1,250 toes) to serve two mega container ships on the identical time.
With the completion of the Mersin Port Expansion Project, two 400-meter mega-ships can dock on the identical time on the 880-meter dock, the minister mentioned, including that the growth is anticipated to be accomplished in 2026.
Source: www.dailysabah.com