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 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:

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 , 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 , Genoa is the capital of the 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 . 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 and established the .

The change in the global economy and trade routes tline accompanied the discovery of the New World by the Genovese sailor 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 Andre Doria, who commanded the Crusader Fleet, put an end to French rule. However, he was defeated by Barbaros Hayrettin at the Battle of 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 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. This is due to the widespread use of high-technology in trade and tourism.

Italy’s largest port: The Port of Genoa The Port of Genoa is important due to its location in the most industrialized region in the north of Italy and the fact tline is serves the consumer markets of Central Europe. The port is connected to the other cities of Italy and to France and Switzerland via highway and rail networks. The autobahn runs parallel to the sea complementing the logistic infrastructure by connecting the ports of Genoa, Nice, and .

The agricultural products in northern Italy are exported from the port of Genoa. It also provides the raw materials and fuel needed by factories in the area. Located on seven million square meters on 20 kilometers of coast, the port of Genoa contains terminals for container traffic, general cargo, bulk freight, liquid cargo, Ro-Ro, petroleum products and passengers. Italy’s largest port by tonnage, Genoa handles the second largest number of containers after Gioia Tauro, which has a large amount of transit traffic. Every year, up to 8,000 ships call on the port, which has the infrastructure required to service every type of vessel and cargo. In 2010, it handled approximately 52 million tons of general cargo, an increase of 6.58% over the previous year, and 1.76 million TWU, an increase of 14.69%. The historic Port of Ponte dei Mille features the most modern infrastructure and facilities. It has a total of 18 docks, 5 of which serve cruise ships and 13 of which serve ferryboats. The ferryboat routes have an annual capacity for 4 million passengers, 1.5 million cars and 250,000 heavy vehicles. In 2010, 3.6 million passengers were served, an increase of 1% over the previous year.

Arkas has provided service in Genoa since 2008 Arkas Italia began operations in the Italian city of Genoa in 2008, handling agency operations for Arkas Line. In 2011, Arkas Italia signed an agreement with the Italian company Fratelli Cosulich SPA, which provides for development of Arkas' shipping operations in Italy and the opening of new container lines from Italy to destinations in the Mediterranean.

Arkas Italia Genova employees

Arkas Anadolu Logistics conducts cabotage shipments from Marmara to the Black Sea

Trabzon port Arkas Anadolu Logistics began focusing on cabotage shipments from the Marmara region to the port of Trabzon by opening an office in Trabzon at the beginning of 2011.

Arkas Anadolu Logistics provides manufacturers with the most affordable logistics services by integrating sea (cabotage shipments) with overland shipments, transporting cabotage freight between Marport in Istanbul and the port of Trabzon with regular weekly service. Products manufactured in Istanbul and the surrounding provinces destined for the Eastern Black Sea or Eastern are loaded at Marport, unloaded at the port of Trabzon and then transported inland via highway transportation. Using sea transportation to move freight to the desired port in a single shipment, especially for high tonnage freight which would take several days and 20-30 vehicles to transport overland, is not only cost-effective, but it also helps protect the environment. In addition to the cost- savings, products can be shipped with containers to their final destination without being damaged.

In its logistics services, Arkas Anadolu Logistics aims to provide its customers with the most reliable and economic door-to-door transportation solutions as it continues cabotage shipments between ports in the Sea of Marmara, the and the Mediterranean.

Regular weekly cabotage shipments are made with two vessels operated by Arkas Line on an Istanbul-Kocaeli- Bursa-Izmir-Mersin-Gazimagusa route.

Arkas Automotive and Volcar sold 13,555 automobiles in the last 12 months

Arkas Automotive and Volcar increased their market share to 1.4%, selling 11,745 new cars and 1,810 second hand cars in the last 12 months.

With 23 sales and service points at 16 locations in Izmir, Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa and Denizli offering seven brands of passenger automobiles - Chevrolet, Citroën, Ford, Mazda, Opel, Peugot and Volvo – and representing Renault Trucks in the heavy commercial class, Arkas Automotive maintains its growth objective in the sector. In the general evaluation meeting held by Arkas Automotive and Volcar General Manager Önder Cider, he said, “In 2010, our goal was to increase our market share to 1.4% and we have accomplished this. We have cut the time frame for achieving 2.5% of the market share, which we outlined in our five-year plan, to 3 years. We will increase our market share even faster than we planned with the six sales and service locations we will open in a new area of Ankara this year. We plan to add two new brands to the companies we represent. We are growing in every brand. We have grown in the last 12 months without making investments due solely to efficiency. We are number one in sales of Volvo and Citroën passenger cars. Fifty percent of the Volvo cars sold in Turkey are sold by Arkas Automotive and Volcar. We have also increased our market share in the Peugeot brand by 1%. The brand that we sell the most of here at Arkas Automotive and Volcar is Opel.”

Investment in technological infrastructure in parallel with developments in e-business Cider said, “One of the areas of investment we are focusing on this year is technology. We have established a separate department called e-business because online shopping has become so widespread. We sell 40 vehicles a months via the registrations that come to us over the internet. One of our projects is the preparation of individual micro-sites. Everyone who purchases an automobile from Arkas Automotive will be able to see information, such as the maintenance history of their vehicle, the service monitoring system, and campaign communications on the special micro-site. The sites will be updated regularly, as a reflection of our principle of transparency in customer service. This way the owner of the vehicle will have a sort of vehicle registration. We are preparing an Arkas Automotive Application custom-designed for the advanced technological communication devices of our age, such as Blackberry and iPhone.

We will offer speed to our customers by taking advantage of technology because today time is critical for our clients.”

www.arkasotomotiv.com.tr [email protected]

The sultan of the seas, the Commander-in-Chief of the Levant: Turgut Reis

Illustration of the conquest by Ottoman's

Turgut Reis played an important role in securing Ottoman supremacy in the Mediterranean with his keen wit and maneuvering capabilities.

Known in history as among the Christian nations of the Mediterranean, Turgut Reis was born in 1485 in Muğla Menteşe. He was trained as a bombardier in the Ottoman Army, which he joined at the age of 12. Turgut Reis later joined the fleet of in and was promoted to the rank of captain for his success in striking enemy ships. He set himself a course between Venice and the Aegean islands, capturing numerous castles and islands. In 1520, he joined the fleet of Admiral in Chief Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha and began to establish hegemony between and Italy. In 1538 at the Sea when military mastery of the Mediterranean passed to the Ottomans, he played an important role in the victory under the command of Barbaros. The Crusader Fleet under the command of suffered a huge defeat at Preveza Castle in the .

Governor of Island When Sinan Reis, the governor of Djerba Island, was made commander of the Ottoman Fleet in the towards the end of 1539, Turgut Reis was made governor of the island.

The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V commissioned Andrea Doria to capture Turgut Reis, who was terrorizing the region with his raids on the shores of Spain and . Even though Andrea Doria pursued him with 81 ships, Turgut Reis bombarded the ports of Corsica in the . While repairing his ships near Girolata, he was attacked by the combined forces of Giannettino Doria, Giorgio Doria and Gentile Virginio Orsini and taken captive. After almost four years as a slave, he was imprisoned in Genoa. The ransom offers made by Barbaros to set Turgut Reis free were rejected. When Barbaros returned from France in 1544 after making an Ottoman-French alliance against the Spanish, he blockaded Genoa with 210 ships, after which Andrea Doria set Turgut Reis free for 3,500 gold ducats. For two years, Turgut Reis attacked the coasts of Corsica, Sicily and the . He captured a number of areas on the shores of and in the Gulf of La Spezia before setting sail for . In 1546, Charles V commission Andrea Doria with the task of removing Turgut Reis from Malta. Doria placed his fleet at Island, but they never met each other. Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha viewed Turgut Reis as a rival to his brother Sinan Pasha’s promotion to Admiral in Chief. For this reason, Turgut Reis was not appointed as Admiral in Chief when Barbaros died in 1546.

Turgut moves his ships overland on skids at Djerba The Genovese, Venetian and Spanish fleets which were defeated by Turgut Reis at every encounter finally made an alliance and trapped Turgut Reis’ fleet of 20 ships with 150 vessels in the Channel of Cantera on the island of Djerba while he was doing repairs. While the Crusader Fleet blockaded the entrance to the port and waited for Turgut Reis to surrender, it received unexpected news from Sicily. Because the blockade did not encompass all four sides of the island, Turgut Reis had pulled his ships on greased skids overland and launched them on the other side of the island, and then he captured the nobles who had come to see him taken prisoner as well as their ships.

The conquest of Faced with the intrigues of the Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha, Turgut Reis roamed freely in the Mediterranean for almost two years. Süleiman the Magnificent commissioned Turgut Reis to conquer Tripoli. In spite of the fact that he conquered Tripoli in 1551 and after his success at sea and on land, Sinan Pasha made one of his own men, Ağa Murat, the governor of Tripoli. Therefore, Turgut Reis left the Ottoman Fleet and headed west with pirate ships. However, the fleet left the Admiral in Chief alone and followed Turgut Reis. When Turgut Reis was unable to persuade the captains to return, he journeyed to Istanbul with the fleet. In spite of the fact that Süleiman had given him the Governorship of Tripoli, Turgut Reis was again awarded the Karlıeli Provincial Governorship as a result of the lies of Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha. Turgut Reis stopped the Sultan on his way to Edirne and reminded him of his promise to give him Tripoli, upon which Süleiman elevated him to the rank of pasha and made him the Governor of Tripoli again. Turgut Reis played an important role in the city’s transformation into one of the pearls of the north African coast.

Siege of Malta In the 11th century, the Crusader Armies organized raids on Jerusalem. A charity organization for the wounded made up of merchants over time began to include armed members of religious orders including knights and priests. When this religious order, known as the Knights of St. John, was driven from Jerusalem, it settled in Cyprus, Rhodes and finally Malta.

They struck pilgrimage and trade routes, captured Ottoman ships and took many prisoners, including the governor of Alexandria. When the knights captured twenty ships equipped with cannon under the command of Bayramoğlu Reis on his way to Naples to exchange for valuable goods, and killed over two hundred of the on the ships, Süleiman commissioned Admiral in Chief Piyale Pasha and Mustafa Pasha to lead the ground assault. He commanded that the orders of Turgut Reis be heeded as he knew the Island of Malta very well. An Ottoman Fleet consisting of 30,000 soldiers and 180 pieces of artillery reached Malta on May 18, 1565.

Impenetrable walls are breached Piyale Pasha preferred an attack on the castles after the city had been taken while Serdar Mustapha Pasha wanted to attack Saint Elmo Castle without waiting for Turgut Reis’s orders. Turgut Reis reached the castle on the seventh day of the siege when the Ottoman troops were beginning to become dispirited. Turgut Reis believed that the castles of Saint Elmo and Saint Michael could not keep up their defense without aid from the city, and so the priority was to capture the city. Breaches were opened by striking the foundation of the castles with cannon fire. Bridges, known as “Dragut’s Bridge”, were built over the moats that surrounded the castles using the masts from the allowing the Janissaries to enter the castle. When reinforcements arrived from nearby Saint Angelo Castle, he surrounded Saint Elmo with cannons in a total siege. He began to place cannons around Saint Angelo as well, but was wounded by fire from the castle. He died on , 1565 after hearing that Saint Elmo Castle had been captured. He was taken back to Tripoli in his own galiot and interred in a tomb in the Turgut Pasha Mosque.

Sources: * www.denizmuzeleri.tsk.tr * www.bugun.com.tr * www.wikipedia.com * www.haberekspres.com * We would like to thank the Turgut Reis Municipality for the painting of Turgut Reis.

Navigator provides CRM consultancy to Teksan Generator

Navigator provides Teksan with consultancy regarding the use of SAP ERP and CRM systems for handling sales, marketing, after-sales support and rental as well as periodic maintenance and repair processes for its products.

Teksan Generator provides customers in more than 75 countries with generator products, technology and service. Navigator implements SAP ERP and CRM solutions as part of the consultation provided to Teksan so that the company can conduct existing business processes with an integrated system and obtain reliable reports.

The project was implemented with the installation of two new modules, the SAP CRM sales module and the service module, so that technical services could be handled with mobile applications and inventory tracking could be conducted with depot automation. The sales module will make it possible to monitor sales opportunities, customer visits, and the process from proposal to sales contract in a manner that is integrated with ERP.

At the conclusion of the project that began in January 2011 and is scheduled for completion in nine months, all of the business process will be standardized and realized on a single system. A common terminology will be created for use by Teksan employees. The time devoted to invoicing procedures and checking technical services in different regions will be reduced as will the risk of errors since the process will be performed instantaneously.

In brief...

ADDRESS CHANGES

After conducting operations in Italy since 2008, Arkas Arkas Bulgaria conducts operations in Varna and Italia has moved its offices to a new address. Sophia and its Varna office has moved to a new address. Arkas Italia: Ponte Morosini, 59/3 16126 Arkas Bulgaria Varna Address: Genova, Italy 54, Osmi Primorski Polk Blvd Floor 3, Office 10 9000 Varna, Bulgaria Tel: (0039) 010 8463711 Fax: (0039) 010 846 Tel: (00359) 52 685520 Fax: (00359) 52 602285 [email protected]

Volvo enthusiasts in Izmir meet the S60 and V60 on the Ülkü Racetrack With one showroom in Istanbul and two showrooms in Izmir, Volcar organized an interesting activity to introduce the residents of Izmir to the new Volvo S60 and V60. The Volvo Extreme Izmir S60 and V60 Test Drive event was well attended at the Ülkü Racetrack. At least 200 Volvo enthusiasts from Izmir had an opportunity to test the technological innovations of the wild S60 and V60 at various stations while experiencing the dynamic character of the new models by taking laps on the track. Technological innovations like the Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Braking Pedestrian Sensor and Safety in the City created a buzz. Participants had an opportunity to push the limits of its road handling on the difficult turns as they took laps around the Izmir Ülkü Racetrack. In addition to the S60 and V60, they also test drove prestigious Volvo models like the C30, S80 and XC60.