Petlim container port to be commissioned next spring

29 October 2015 13:13 (UTC+04:00)

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By Aynur Karimova

Petlim container port in Turkey's Izmir city, which is currently under construction, will be commissioned in spring of 2016, Azertag state news agency quoted Kenan Yavuz, the head of the SOCAR Turkey Enerji, as saying.

Yavuz believes that management of the Petlim port by the Dutch company APM Terminals, one of the world's leading port operators, is a great chance for the port.

"Petlim will become one of the ports that meet world standards," he said. "Currently, the port has a storage area of 450,000 square meters, and its expansion is possible in the future."

Petlim container port will become the third largest port in Turkey and the largest one in the Aegean Sea. It will be able to receive the largest container ships carrying up to 11,000 containers. Some $400 million was invested in the construction of the port, some $300 million of which was invested by Petkim.

The initial capacity of the port will be 1.5 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit), which will be increased to four million TEU in the future. Its capacity will exceed the capacity of Aslandzhak port by about 50 percent.

The Dutch company APM Terminals, one of the world's leading port operators, will enjoy the right to manage the port for 28 years while the port will belong to Turkey.

Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova