Economic Analysis of Container Transhipment in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Year 2016, , 12 - 21, 07.03.2016

Enver Yetkili Ertuğrul Doğan Sencer Baltaoğlu , İlkay Salihoğlu

https://doi.org/10.30897/ijegeo.304418

Cited By: 4

Abstract

With the increasing trade during the second half of the last century; container based transportation
facilitated and enabled transhipment operations all over the world and as well as in the
Mediterranean. In this context specifically, Suez Canal, which is located between the Eastern
Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, offers significant opportunities in the container transpotation
between Far East and European trade areas. And since the container ship sizes heading over the
20,000 TEU’s is underway, Mediterranean transhipment operations are heading into a new era;
feeder service distances will be more important than the main route deviation distances. The average
transhipment ratio is 80% in the Eastern Mediterranean while for the whole Mediterranean is 43%
and various markets of the Eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea, Adriatic Sea and Balkan countries
can easily access from Cyprus. A container terminal at the Port of Gemikonağı (Karavostasi),
North-eastern side of Cyprus is offering ideal conditions for grabbing a share from these activities.
As motherland for Northern Cyprus community Turkey’s hinterland, may count on behalf of the
proposed Port of Gemikonağı which may become a container transhipment base for Turkey.

Keywords

Containerisation, Eastern Mediterranean, Transhipment Operations, Cyprus, Port of Gemikonağı

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