trailer world issue One 2010

Turkish transporters founded their own ferry line to Italy during the Balkans war using a boat. A success story.

22 Issue One 2010 The cargo hatch of UN Akdeniz is wide open. The powerful trucks Mafi 1, 2 and 4 are busy at work pulling trailers for Turkish and international forwarders into the heart of the ship. After four hours of hard work, at 8 p.m. the ship run by the Turkish operator U.N. Ro-Ro leaves the company port in Pendik to set off over the Marmara Sea. It will pass through the Dar- danelles into the Mediterranean and round to the Adriatic Sea, finally docking in the Italian port of Triest 58 hours later. “Today is pretty average”, says Özcan Mimir, port manager in Pendik as he walks across the parking area. It‘s not full. Mimir is expecting 150 trailers, perhaps a few more will come. On other days the premises with 530 parking lots will be full to capacity. At the main entrance, the trucks pass through customs before the load is controlled and weighed. Then they can refuel tax-free before going on board. The route between Turkey and Italy has been in existence since 1994. In those days, 48 Turkish forwarders in the UND (interna- tional transporters association) were wonder- ing how to bypass war-torn Yugoslavia. Al- though the alternative land routes to Europe via Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria or the Czech Republic were still open, the roads were often in poor condition, the bor- der procedures longwinded and the goods weren‘t safe. “Our company came up with the idea of setting up a Ro-Ro connection”, says Ser- dar Sezen, Manager of Ünkar International Transports and Customs Warehouse. Initially they tested a route between Derince in the Golf of Izmir and Triest. However, there was simply not enough space, the Ro-Ro ships also carried passengers and only ran twice a week. “But in principle it seemed to us that this route is right”, explains Sezen and adds: “Turkey and Europe became neighbours”. To start with, the state Turkish Cargo Lines chartered two ships, with UND tak- ing on the guarantees. The forwarders then founded U.N. Ro-Ro, which today is one of the most successful companies in the Medi- terranean. “We have around 12,000 custom- ers and a market share of about 36 percent in freight transport between Turkey and West- ern Europe”, says Cemil Bayülgen, Managing Director of U.N. Ro-Ro. To begin with, the ships sailed from Is- tanbul‘s Haydarpasa port on the Asian side. Following investment in the port of Pendik, since September 2005 around 50 percent of the trailers are loaded here. Three times a week, Ro-Ro ships leave Istanbul‘s Ambarli port on the European side, with twice-week- ly departures from the Mediterranean port of Mersin. After the war in Yugoslavia, forwarders looked for a safe alternative to land transport and founded U.N. Ro-Ro. Today the operator is one of the most successful companies in the Mediterranean. Photos:Skowronek Neighbours with a Ro-Ro connection Özcan Mimar, port manager in Pendik, makes sure things run smoothly International

trailer world issue One 2010

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