Arkas became Turkey’s source of pride in its own sector by manifesting a strong performance throughout the year in every field it is active, predominantly in maritime line, port operation, combined transportation, logistic services, and automotive.
Exceeded its growth goals by 5 per cent in 2005 and 2006, Arkas ended the year 2007 with a 20 per cent growth. Its comprehensive investments within the scope of Maritime Trade Fleet and Arkas Anatolia Project and the customers’ trust in the company were among the basic factors of Arkas being able to attain a high growth performance.
While the container fleet made up of 17 vessels as of the end of 2006 was extended in 2007 so as to cover 23 vessels after the addition of six ships, four of which were newly built, the total capacity of transport reached a 25.813 TEU. Arkas plans to add up four more new vessels by the end of 2009.
One of the significant ventures in 2007 was putting a thousand temperaturecontrolled containers (reefers) that EMES bought into the service especially of the fresh vegetable/fruit exporters having troubles in the Russian market. Another 500 reefers were already ordered for the year 2008.
In addition to maritime container transportation, Arkas also began its endeavours of cast load transportation. Founded in November, Ems Bulk Maritime and Transportation Inc. ships such products as metals, steel raw materials and its products, pipes, cement, and grain with two vessels of 10 thousand dwt. - all of which occupy a significant place in the Turkish exportation.
Arkas Anatolia project Arkas commenced in 2003 with an objective to reduce the cost of transportation and to eliminate the obstacles of the Anatolian industrialist by utilising maritime and railways in combination maintained its course of development also in 2007. Within the scope of the said project, procurement of the necessary real estates in cities that are planned to be served at the outset was carried out last year. While the projection and construction works of logistic facilities such as warehouses, distribution centres, etc. that would be erected on these real estates were in progress, the construction of dutiable and dutyfree entrepìt with a total land of 6 thousand 500 square meters was already finished off in Kayseri - a city with one of the most acute trade in Anatolia.
Also reinforcing its presence abroad while continuing its ventures in Anatolia, Arkas made new addons to its line of companies in other countries in 2007. The number of countries Arkas owns agencies in totals 9 following the new offices that opened their doors in Novorossiysk, Russia and Alexandria, Egypt; and the foreign service spots increased to 18. Arkas now owns offices in Greece, Algeria, Spain, Romania, Georgia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria.
Growth to continue in 2008
Arkas aims to preserve its approach of quality service in all fields it carries out its activities with its 42 companies and a total of 5 thousand 200 employees. At the top of its 2008 ventures lies Autoport, the very first specialised automotive port that serves numerous brands.
With an annual capacity of 400 thousand cars, Autoport will meet the logistic needs of our automotive sector that also became the driving force of exportation in Turkey.
Schenker Arkas undertook 183 thousand 287 tons of highway shipment with 13 thousand 614 trailer trucks, predominantly in the Member States of the EU in 2007.
The tonnage increase was by 6 per cent in highway shipment.
Marport, the biggest private container terminal in Turkey, continued to grow in 2007 and had numerous accomplishments. With a total capacity of 1 million 500 TEU, Marport preserved its title of the terminal handling the highest number of containers in Turkey. As of the yearend, the handled containers reached a level of 1 million 298 thousand 256 TEU by a 35% increase, serving a total of 1.564 container ships.Marport carried on its investments to boost the operation speed. Two SSGs (shiptoshore gantry cranes), 10 RTGs (rubbertyred gantry cranes), and two MHCs (material handling cranes) went into service at the Marport terminal zone in midyear. And 3 more SSG cranes were also taken over in February, the investments of which have been planned previously