Turkey – the epicenter of trade and logistics

If there is one country which has been the envy of the east and the west for its geopolitical location on the world map, it’s Turkey. Located at the cusp of Europe and Asia, Turkey has been the international epicenter of trade for centuries. And today, global logistics services providers like ECU Worldwide Turkey leverage the plethora of opportunities it offers.

Turkey is located at the strategic intersection between Europe, Asia and Africa making the country a perfect transport and logistics hub.

Geography drives seamless connectivity

Being a peninsula it is surrounded by the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, giving it an ample number of ports. Significant among these are: Istanbul/ Ambarli on the European side of Istanbul, which accounts for 80% of the total Less than Container Load (LCL) market; Haydarpasa on the Asian side of Istanbul City Center; Izmit City (with Yilport, Evyap, Derince located on the Asian side connects to Ankara in the interior through a truck route), Gemlik, Izmir (Aliaga and Alsancak ports), Mersin and Iskenderun. Consequently, approximately 61.65% of export and import is done via sea. Moreover, sea trade is expected to gain momentum thanks to the ports commissioned and new ports under construction. ECU Worldwide Turkey has been capitalizing on this maritime edge to offer its customers seamless cargo movements across the globe.

“Our LCL services from Istanbul/Ambarli have 23 direct and indirect services that circumnavigate the globe. There is also a weekly service from Izmir to Antwerp, Belgium that connects all destinations via Antwerp. Keeping our customers’ requirements in mind, we also provide additional services to Latin America to ensure smooth cargo movement with low risk of damage and delay at ports of transshipment. With a network operating in more than 180 countries and offering over 2400 direct trade lanes for LCL, we truly bring the world to Turkey and vice versa,” says Neslihan Kopuzoglu Finci, Country Manager, ECU Worldwide Turkey.

Logistics and unmatched opportunities

Turkey also has a robust system of roadways. The European Union is its biggest trading partner, accounting for 53% of trade that takes place via roads. Moreover, Turkish Airlines has retained its title of being the airline with direct flights to most cities of the world. This has naturally buoyed the national airline’s significance with regard to air cargo transport as well. However, the share of air transport does not match that of the sea. Railways, at present, accounts for 1% of the total trade; its capacity is being augmented with investments to increase the rail presence as well as modernize the existing rail network. The well-established sea routes, the fabled land-routes and prominent air freight make Turkey a destination of choice for logistics.

In fact, logistics and transport is one of Turkey’s fastest growing sectors. Over the last 10 years, Turkey has increased its total import and export volume by 102% in Full Container Load and reached nearly 9,000,000 TEUs and 20% of the volume in transit cargo – 11.6 million in total.

The growing logistics sector in Turkey is gearing up to power the USD 720.1 billion economy, which is currently being driven by the automotive, petrochemical, and electronics industries which have overtaken the traditional industries of textiles and clothing in Turkey’s export mix. Gold, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, vehicle parts, and scrap iron are the main imports.

Investments in agriculture and the food processing industry, energy, textiles, tourism and health tourism will see these sectors emerging in the near future. With a boom in these sectors, the import export is likely to go up, creating huge demand for logistics. As a result, businesses are likely to partner with global logistics companies like ECU Worldwide that are reliable and future-ready.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased reliance on e-commerce, opening up opportunities for LCL shipments – which ECU Worldwide Turkey specializes in. Considering that one of the biggest online retailers which opened up in Turkey in the last quarter in 2018 is planning to infuse new investments to enhance its presence, is proof of the promise of e-commerce in Turkey.

ECU Worldwide Turkey edge

ECU Worldwide Turkey has been leveraging Turkey’s geographical dividend for its customers with seamless operations for LCL, FCL, air freight, land cargo and open direct services, tailored to specific needs and requirements.

Since 1995, ECU Worldwide has been operating in Turkey through its offices in Istanbul and Izmir, offering connectivity to Europe, nearby African countries and the Mediterranean regions along with major trade hubs in Singapore, Antwerp, Barcelona, Busan and Dubai. A team of expert professionals that is well-equipped and happy to go the extra mile for customers, sets ECU Worldwide Turkey apart from competition.

The customer-focused and solution-oriented approach of being accessible, proactive and innovative has resulted in an increase in the volume of cargo handled in 2021 as compared to previous years, in spite of the pandemic, the tough market situations and difficulties of finding space and equipment.

Moreover, with ECU360, ECU Worldwide Turkey is able to offer its customers the digital edge with complete visibility of cargo movement, door-to-door services in over 50 markets and the convenience of running operations and shipping cargo in just a few clicks.

Conclusion

The myriad logistics opportunities of Turkey along with the strong customer-centric approach and digital offerings of ECU Worldwide Turkey, simplify trade and business for those looking at Turkey as a viable location for their global supply chain requirements.