APM Terminals invests to expand Turkish trade

APM Terminals Izmir has selected ZPMC as the provider of the most efficient and safest cranes to operate Izmir’s only container terminal capable of serving vessels larger than 10,000teu, in one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

The new terminal – Izmir and Western Turkey’s largest and most modern – in Petkim Port will allow shipping lines to upgrade the size of vessels calling Izmir, as well as introduce direct calls from Asia, the sub-continent and the Middle East for vessels larger than 10,000teu.

“This will be a complete change in Izmir’s role in the global logistics chain.  The ordering of these cranes will ensure that APM Terminals Izmir can deliver efficient, reliable and safe operations for these new services, as well as for the larger inter-European trade in Izmir,” said Mogens Larsen, Managing Director of APM Terminals Izmir.

The manufacturing of the three ship-to-shore (STS) quay cranes and 10 rubber-tyred-gantry (RTG) cranes by ZPMC are currently underway in Shanghai, China, and will be delivered for Phase 1 of the new APM Terminals Izmir facility in summer 2015.

The STS cranes will have an outreach of 22 containers and will be equipped with the latest safety technology. The RTG cranes will be electric (e-RTG) to minimise carbon dioxide emissions and ensure higher productivity.

Izmir, located in the Izmir region on the Aegean coast – one of Turkey’s fastest growing regions – has a population of four million. Export and imports passing through Izmir support close to 20 million inhabitants.

In February 2013, APM Terminals formalised an agreement with Turkish petrochemical company Petkim to operate a new 1.5 million teu purpose-built container and general deepwater terminal at Petkim Port in Aliağa, Izmir. Exporters and importers will benefits from the total project investment of US$400m that will add urgently needed capacity to the Izmir region.

Phase I is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2015, with phase II to be completed one and a half years later.

In 2013, the Turkish economy ranked 16^th globally at $1.1 trillion (by Purchasing Power Parity), and is among the fastest growing economies in Europe, with annual GDP growth of 3.5% forecast by the World Bank in 2015.