september 2011 no :11/341 Arkas Line and Turkon joint service Arkas Line and Turkon launched a new joint route called Turkey Levant Service.The service will operate to/from Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. In order to increase its shipping capacity from Turkey to Egypt, Lebanon and Syria, Arkas Line is cooperating with Turkon Line regarding vessel operations on the same line. The two companies offer customers that do business in the region a valuable service thanks to the Levant Service provided with vessels capable of carrying 1,900 TEU. The service runs once every eight days following an Izmit (Evyap)-Bursa (Gemlik)-Istanbul (Marport)- Izmir (Alsancak)-Izmir (Aliağa)-Mersin-Damietta-Alexandria-Beirut-Latakia-Izmit (Evyap) route. Exports such as iron-steel, machinery, devices and tools, plastic and plastic products are shipped from Turkey to Lebanon while products such as scrap iron-steel, organic-inorganic compounds, plastic and plastic products, raw leather, hides and pelts are imported. The potential for the export of agricultural products, food processing and packaging and textiles as well as construction and business machinery from Turkey to Syria is quite high so these are the products that are generally shipped. Products that Egypt imports from Turkey include iron, synthetic fiber bundles, petroleum and bituminous mineral oils, unalloyed semi-finished steel products, passenger automobiles and race cars and it exports copper wire, rice, carbon and cotton thread. Arkas Line and Tarros cooperate in the Mediterranean The first direct service from Turkey to Morocco Arkas Line and Tarros SPA provide the first direct container service from Turkey to Morocco with the Great Pendulum Service (GPS) calling on Istanbul and Mersin. Arkas Line and Tarros SPA provide the first direct container transport service from Turkey to Morocco with four vessels on a regular weekly basis. Until now, there were no direct shipments from Turkey to Morocco, the only country in Africa that borders both on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. At the same time, this direct service which Arkas Line and Tarros SPA provide for Morocco, where Arkas has an office, creates significant advantages for customers engaged in trade between the two countries. The Great Pendulum Service (GPS) offers customers secure transport with cost advantages due to the time savings achieved with the direct route and shorter transit times. For exports, GPS follows an Istanbul-Mersin-Alexandria-Naples-La Spezia-Casablanca and Setubal route, while imports follow a Casablanca-Setubal-La Spezia-Salerno-Pire-Thessaloniki-Mersin and Istanbul route. Products exported from Istanbul and Mersin on container vessels are shipped directly to Egypt, Italy, Morocco and Portugal, while import cargos are picked up in Greece, Portugal, Italy and Morocco. Exports from Turkey to Morocco consist of iron and steel, automotive products and spare parts, synthetic artificial fiber, machinery, electric machinery and cotton, while imports include inorganic chemicals, iron and steel, electric machinery, textiles, lead and lead products. Great Pendulum Service Transit Times: Export/Day Alexandria Naples La Spezia Casablanca Setubal Istanbul 3 7 8 13 15 Mersin 1 6 7 12 14 Import/Day Casablanca Setubal La Spezia Salerno Piraeus Istanbul 17 14 6 4 2 Mersin 19 16 8 6 4 Marport extends the dock at its West Terminal Marport handles more volume than any container port in Turkey and the dock at its West Terminal is being extended from 300 meters to 360 meters. Marport's approach to service in port operations meets world-class standards and it continues to make investments that reflect this approach. The construction efforts that began in June will extend the dock at Marport’s West Terminal 60 meters so that berthing and mooring of container vessels with a capacity of 14,000 TEU or higher varying in length from 318 to 360 meters will be safer. In addition to extending the length of the dock, a mooring dolphin will be constructed 30 meters from the dock. The investments that have been made in equipment, infrastructure and information systems as part of the modernization and expansion projects that have been implemented since the port was built have given Marport the greatest handling capacity of any port in the region. The largest container vessels arriving in Turkey berth at Marport With a draft of 14.5 meters, 7 docks and 9 STS (Ship to Shore) cranes, it can dock 18 ships at the same time. The most recent vessel to dock here was MSC Lauren, which is the largest container vessel to ever dock in Turkey. It was 366 meters long and capable of carrying 12,500 TEU. The vessel docked at Marport in Istanbul in May and was loaded with export cargo. Arkas Line increases the number of vessels on its East Med Russia service Arkas Line has increased the number of vessels and its capacity on the East Med Russia (ERS) service that provides shipping with reefer containers now that the grape season has begun. Starting in September, Arkas Line will operate four vessels on the ERS service it started in August providing direct transport from Izmir to Novorossiysk. Each of the ships has a capacity of 1,600 TEU and can carry 350 reefers. The service follows an Alexandria-Gazimagosa-Mersin - Izmir (Alsancak) - Istanbul (Marport) - Novorossiysk - Istanbul (Marport) - Bursa (Gemlik)-Izmir (Aliağa)-Alexandria route and the transit time is four days. Arkas Line ships the products of customers exporting grapes from Izmir to Russia on its ERS service and delivers them to the necessary port in reefers so that they do not lose any of their freshness. Producers are able to provide the market with quality grapes because of the fact that the cold storage chain is never broken. They not only benefit from affordable shipping rates but they are also able to bring quality products to the market inexpensively. Products exported to Russia are unloaded at the port of Novorossiysk and then transportation to Moscow is organized by Arfor, the forwarding company that operates as part of Arkas. The Cagliari Black Sea service provides direct transport from Izmir to Odessa Arkas Line has been providing reefer container transportation from Turkey to Russia for many years and now it has begun a direct service to Odessa with its innovative service approach. The company offers customers doing business in the Black Sea and regional countries safe and rapid transportation with the direct service that takes 5 days from Izmir to Odessa and 4 days to Constanta. The Cagliari Black Sea (CBS) service follows a Cagliari- Izmir (Alsancak)-Istanbul (Marport)-Constanta- Odessa-Varna-Constanta-Istanbul (Marport)-Cagliari route. Vessels leave from Istanbul and Izmir to the Black Sea once every nine days. Expanding reefer container fleet Arkas Line has increased the number of reefer containers in its fleet to 3,274 with the 1,500 reefers it recently purchased. Arkas Line introduced reefer shipping to customers doing business between Turkey and the Black Sea and its goal is to offer better, higher quality service to its customers by increasing the number of reefer shipments every year. The locomotive of the Moroccan economy: Casablanca Governement building, Casablanca As a gateway to the Atlantic Ocean, Casablanca is the sixth largest city in North Africa and a vital port city where the pulse of the Moroccan economy is felt most strongly. Casablanca is both an economic and military base because it is home to North Africa’s largest port and the Royal Navy. Casablanca Port Throughout its history Casablanca has blended French, Spanish and Arab culture and it has maintained its economic and cultural vibrancy and allure down through the ages due to its geographical location. Before the Portuguese occupied the city and gave it the name "Casa Branka” (White House), there was a Berber kingdom in the region called Anfa. When the region became independent in the 15th century, the city and the port became a lair for pirates. After the Portuguese occupation leveled the region, a castle was constructed and a new settlement surrounded it. In the 16th century, the city was captured by the Spanish and received its present day name. It has been home to Portuguese, Spanish, French and Arab merchants ever since. Center of trade Because of the rapid development of trade, especially around the Port of Casablanca, the Greater Casablanca Region has become the center of the Moroccan economy. The region is home to the general headquarters of national and international companies and Casablanca singlehandedly supplies 60% of the industrial workforce and accounts for 39% of total production. Casablanca consumes thirty percent of the nation’s electricity and supplies 44% of the Kingdom’s industrial production worth 93 million Moroccan Dirhams. The city is also the center of the banking network in Morocco. One of the products tline accounts for a large portion of Casablanca’s export volume is phosplinee. Fishing, canned fish, logging, furniture, construction materials, glass, textiles, electronics, leather, processed food, non-alcoholic drinks and cigarettes also play an important role in the economy. Young people make up more than 25% of the city’s population of over three million. People older than 60 years of age make up only 9% of the population, so the city’s workforce has tremendous potential. Because the agricultural areas outside of the city are arid, the number of people immigrating to Casablanca to find work in the industrial and service sectors is increasing. Port of Casablanca Fifty percent of Morocco’s international trade passes through the ports of Casablanca and Mohammedia. The Port of Casablanca is significant not only because of its shipping industry and trade volume but also because it is the world's largest artificial harbor.