What kind of companies prefer to work with Evyap Port?
Our ability to handle different kind of goods at one facility make us the first choice of many factories at our periphery. For example, automobile factories receive their car parts coming from far east in containers at Evyap Port, and at the same time they export their finished cars from the port with roro vessels. Or many companies import tallow, soy oil and corn oil from USA and export their finished products using the container terminal to ship to such countries as Ukraine, Russia, Israel or Egypt.

How is the cargo traffic between USA and Evyap Port?
I can say that most of the tallow, soy oil and corn oil tankers loaded in the USA call at our port and discharge at our tank terminal. On the container side, Turkon Line's East Mediterenean service calls at our port directly and containers coming from their USA service come to Evyap Port via transfer at Ambarli Port. In the near future we expect their USA service to call at Evyap Port directly, which will enable a very short transfer time between the USA and Evyap Port. There is a significant traffic of marble block exports to the USA from Turkey, especially from the Bilecik region. Our next investment will be the construction of a 1 km railway connection line in the port, which will enable us to transport these marble blocks with trains. This investment will reduce the transport cost of marble blocks to the port by 50 percent. I think in the first half of 2007 most of the marble traffic to the USA will shift to Evyap Port. Another major export of Turkey to the USA is textiles. A direct service to the USA from Evyap Port will also support textile industry in our region.

Do you have other investment plans?
We consider 2006 as the beginning year of container and car terminal services. In 2007 we expect to handle 100,000 containers and 150,000 cars. We will increase our container terminal capacity by adding a 60,000 sqm yard and 630 meters of berth. With this extension, our container terminal will exceed Haydarpasa Port's capacity. We expect this infrastructure and equipment investment will reach $60 million. At the car terminal side, with the construction of a multi-story car park, we are planning to double our capacity. The new facility will be on four floors on 21,000 sqm and 1,000 cars will be stored on each floor. Our aim is to have a modern car terminal with an annual capacity of 400,000 cars, serving the automobile factories in Turkey.

What is the general position of Turkish ports, if you compare them with the other ports in the world?
Ports in Turkey are not large-scaled; our ports are generally small to medium sized ports. Although Turkey can be a very good country for transit goods to Black Sea countries, we cannot use this advantage and increase our container handling volume. That is mostly because of the tough customs formalities requested for transit goods, such as request of invoice and controlling of goods by opening the containers.

Unfortunately we are not using railways at all; only 2 percent of cargo is carried by railway in Turkey. The only transportation option to move containers is by land transportation. In land transportation, trucking costs for distances more than 150 km is unfeasable. That is why we do have many small ports, giving services only for a periphery of 150 km in diameter. In 2007, our container terminal will be the first private container terminal in Turkey with a railway connection. This will enlarge our hinterland range and increase our capacity. On the other side, we are doing our best to attract transit container movements with the container lines.

MARKET LEADER
Evyap is one of the leading soap and personal care products manufacturers of the world. Evyap, which carries out 70 % of the total soap exportation of Turkey, is among the top 100 Turkish industrial companies. In addition to its facilities in Turkey, the company commenced soap manufacturing operations in Egypt in 2002, and in Ukraine in 2003.
Evyap has a wide product range in the following categories with major brands such as Duru, Arko, Evy Baby, Evy Lady, Gibbs, Fax, Sanino and Savoy. Evyap, which is the market leader in Turkey with its brands Duru and Arko in the products ranges of soap, shaving products and skin care products, holds the position of bestselling toothpaste brand with Sanino toothpastes. Evyap's soaps are the market leaders in Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Poland and Kazakhstan.



* Hulya Gunaydin, The International Economic History Association, Helsinki, Finland.

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