Arkas Takes Delivery of Turkey's Largest Container Vessel
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may 2011 no : 11 / 337 Arkas takes delivery of Turkey’s largest container vessel Horace Dumitrescu, Kemal Aktaş, Diane Arcas Aktaş, Evrim Hakyemez, Ömür Hakyemez, Gülbeniz Arkas, Lucien Arkas, Bernard Arcas A pioneering company in the shipping sector, Arkas took delivery of the Turkish flagged Gülbeniz A, which is capable of transporting 2,500 TEU, in a ceremony at the Volkswerft Stralsund Shipyard in Germany. As the owner of the largest fleet of container vessels in Turkey, Arkas has raised the number of its container vessels flying the Turkish flag to 26 by adding a new vessel named Gülbeniz A, thus increasing its container transportation capacity to 36,830 TEU. The ship’s delivery ceremony was held on Saturday, April 16th at the Volkswerft Stralsund Shipyards owned by the Hegeman Yard Group. In remarks at the ceremony by shipyard manager Axel Schulz and Arkas Holding Chairman Lucien Arkas, they both emphasized the healthy cooperation based on trust that has been developed between the Hegeman Yard Group and Arkas over the last 12 years. Arkas Holding Chairman Lucien Arkas said, “To date, the Hegemann Yard Group has built 18 vessels for Arkas. We are very satisfied with the excellent workmanship, production quality and the technology used in all the vessels. Volkswerft Stralsund shipyards are the largest indoor shipyards in Germany. The vessels are built in a covered hangar without being affected by the weather and then launched with a slip. This has a significant effect on the quality of the vessel in areas from the sheet metal to the paint. Gülbeniz A will begin operations immediately, and due to its capacity, it will operate in Africa. Mr. Arkas continued by saying, “I recommended that from here out the shipyard design custom vessels that meet our needs. For example, if a vessel with the capacity to transport 500 reefers were built, I could order it." The vessels in the Arkas Fleet are operated by Arkas' own shipping company Arkas Line. Arkas Line provides regular line transportation service in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and transported 600,000 TEU just in the Mediterranean. When necessary, Arkas Line also charters in vessels. Turkey's largest container ship Together with its twin sister Vivien A, Gülbeniz A is 220 meters (two football fields) long, making it the largest container vessel in the Arkas fleet and in Turkey. When the containers transported by this colossal ship are lined up end to end they stretch 15 km. The Gülbeniz A is approximately 50 meters tall and can carry 35,000 tons of cargo. The vessel holds 3,000 tons of fuel and can travel for 24 days without refueling. When the vessel operates at top speed, it consumes 100 tons of fuel per day. Lucien Arkas Ar-Gü’s goal is to transport 1.5 million gross tons of freight Ar-Gü is the Arkas company that handles rail transportation, and in 2010 it transported 1 million gross tons of freight. The company was quite successful in the first four months of this year and has set a goal of 1.5 million gross tons for 2011. After Ar-Gü begins taking delivery of the 100 Sg type railway cars it ordered from Tülomsaş last month, it will increase its transportation capacity with a fleet of 620 railway cars of various types. Ar-Gü is planning to open new lines this year as well. Ar-Gü provides the most economic service to its customers by combining rail with other modes of transportation. It transported 1 million gross tons in 2010 consisting mostly of minerals and port freight. It transports import and export cargo between ports and domestic industrial areas using containers. Ar-Gü also transports bulk cargo, loading iron and chrome ore from mines in the East onto containers and transporting it to ports for export. It also transports imported coal from ports to cement factories in the East. Ar-Gü offers its customers more affordable shipping service with its modern fleet of freight cars and equipment by integrating railway transportation with overland and sea transportation. www.argu.com.tr [email protected] Arkas hosts European logisticians UCS officials and Arkas executives Unternehmer Colloquium Spedition (UCS), a group of CEOs and company owners from large German, Swiss and Austria logistics companies, visited Arkas Holding in Izmir. Unternehmer Colloquium Spedition – UCS periodically meets with politicians and scientists in Germany to exchange ideas about the direction of the logistics sector. The group also visits one country of strategic logistical importance every year as part of their research and this year they chose Turkey. Colloquium officials visited Arkas Holding during their travels in Turkey to learn about Arkas operations in the area of logistics. UCS President Hans-Jörg Hager said that discussions with a company that was a leader in the logistics sector, like Arkas Holding, brought added value to the group. He also said that they believed Turkey had significant potential and thought it was important to invest in this country. After opening remarks from Arkas Holding Chairman Lucien Arkas, Richard Pariente, President of Agency Services, gave a detailed presentation. When the presentation ended, officials asked Arkas executives questions about Turkey and Arkas. A city where trade is a tradition: Genoa Piazza de Ferrari, Genova With its advanced industry focused on high-quality and high-tech products, this port city is an important center of trade supplying consumer markets in Central Europe. Together with Venice, Genoa was transformed into a maritime republic (Repubbliche Marinare) during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Its trade, ship-building and banking sectors were able to support the largest and most powerful sea-going fleet in the Mediterranean. Old port in Genova Today, Genoa continues the tradition of trade tline it has carried on for centuries as a significant trade center. The old saying, “If he’s Genovese, he’s definitely a merchant” (Genuensis, ergo mercator) reflects the traditional character of the city. An important port city in the north of Italy, Genoa is the capital of the Liguria region and the province of Genoa. Located on the southern tip of the Milan-Torino-Genoa industrial triangle, it is one of Italy’s most important economic centers. The Milan-Torino-Genoa region accounts for 40% of the country’s GDP and a similar percentage of its workforce. Per capita income is also higher than the Italian average. One of the world’s oldest banks, the Bank of St. George, was established in 1407 in Genoa and played a significant role in the economic development of the city. According to French historian Jules Michelet (1798- 1874), Genoa was a bank more than it was a city. The record-keeping system used today in accounting was developed during this time and shipping insurance was also introduced. A historic tradition of trade Known by the Ottomans as the Jenevizli, the people of Genoa wielded significant influence in ship-building and maritime trade in the 12th century and had established trading colonies in the Aegean and the Black Seas. In 1204, the Genoese settled the shores of the Golden Horn, which was a concession obtained from the Byzantine Empire, but the Venetians later wrested it away from them. In the 13th century, they settled in the Galata region. In fact, they even spread outside the castle walls, providing security against the Venetians and the Ottomans. They built Galata Tower (Christea Turris) during this time. They captured the island of Corsica and established the Republic of Genoa. The change in the global economy and trade routes tline accompanied the discovery of the New World by the Genovese sailor Christopher Columbus in the 1490s, made the Mediterranean and consequently the Genovese less important. Still, Genoa continued its tradition of trade and continued to attract the attention of greater powers. Even though Genoa was under French rule from 1499 to 1528, the Genovese Admiral Andre Doria, who commanded the Crusader Fleet, put an end to French rule. However, he was defeated by Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha at the Battle of Preveza in 1538. Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Genoa, which had begun to decline in the 18th century, and established the Republic of Liguria. In 1805, Genoa was part of France for a short time, and then joined Italy in 1860. The region which is the capital of Genoa is a center for industry and tourism The capital of the Liguria region, Genoa is a leading industrial center because of its location on the coast, its trade relations and transit cargo traffic. Liguria has a developed textile industry while the food sector is a leader in Genoa, which has the largest pasta factory in Italy and extensive olive groves as well. The city is also important because of the Swiss and German petroleum pipeline terminals here. With its traditional background, the region of Liguria is also a leader in the field of biological farming, and its agricultural production is moving towards high quality products such as strawberries, wine and olive oil. In the 1950s and 1960s, steel was a major industry, but after the crisis in the 1980s, heavy industry was replaced by high technology and industrial pursuits tline were not as harmful to the environment. As industry has focused on superior quality and high-tech products, there has been growth in ship-building, electrical engineering, petro- chemicals and the space industry. The headquarters of the Italian Institute of Technology are located in Genoa. Ship-building is a developing sector tline includes yacht construction, maintenance, the construction of cruise ships, and military shipyards.Gross Value Added per employee in the service sector is far above the national average.