Turkey's Shipbuilding Industry on the Rise

According to reports, projects implemented by the Turkish Ministry of Transport in the last four years to increase shipyard capacity and efficiency have started to bear fruit. The ministry took the shipyards’ demands for growth as their priority and development plans were approved by the Ministry of Public Works. The Tuzla Shipyard and Tourism Co. has reached a capacity to build 45000 deadweight (DWT) ships. Employment rose from 13,000 in 2003 to 28,500. Shipbuilding capacity rose from 654,000 DWT to 1.4 million DWT. The amount of sheet steel processed in shipyards has doubled.

Turkey’s worldwide market share in shipbuilding has risen from 0.9 percent to 1.4 percent; making Turkey fifth place in shipbuilding, right behind Germany who occupies fourth place with a share of 3.6 percent. With these developments, the Turkish Ministry of Transport’s bureau for Maritime Affairs has expanded its goals. Maritime Affairs’ new shipbuilding target for 2010 is now fourth place in the world.

An additional 3,600 people have been employed in the last three years. The steel processing capacity has increased by 306,000 tons. Maintenance and repair capacity have also seen a considerable increase. A million-ton yearly capacity has been reached with the restructuring of some other shipyards. Source: Zaman