EUROPE

Urgent need for Turkey planning review

12 years ago

Turkey needs to re-evaluate port planning and design across the board to ensure that it is able to capitalise on its promising future, according to Celalettin Ilhan, deputy general manager of STFA Construction Group/ ECAP.

Overcoming issues: Turkey is weak on legal and administrative structures, customs clearance, infrastructure problems and planning problems Credit: eutrophication&hypoxia

Turkey plans to significantly increase the total throughput of ports and projects in the pipeline account for as much as $7bn.

“In order to respond to this increase, optimised planning and reliable design needs to be done for each and every port. They should know where they will be in 25 and 50 years,” Mr Ilhan said, speaking at the Transport Events 3rd Black Sea Ports and Shipping 2014 conference in Istanbul.

“If we respond to all the requirements we can have sustainable port infrastructure,” he added.

Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the nation’s ports, Mr Ilhan told delegates that good geographical locations, the positive attitude of the private sector to the port industry, good quality and low price port services, and wide availability of labour all support growth in the sector.

However, “our weaknesses are the legal and administrative structures, customs clearance, infrastructure problems and planning problems”, he said.