Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) Maritime Trade Chambers Council Meeting was held at the TOBB Union Center in Ankara with the attendances of TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Transportation, Maritime and Communication Minister Binali Yıldırım, TOBB Maritime Trade Chambers Council President Sefer Kalkavan and Council members.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that more investments and growth are needed in the maritime sector. In this regard, Hisarcıklıoğlu requested that the maritime sector be given it’s a special place in the investment incentive system and went on: “Because our real competitors are not EU countries but China, Korea, India and Russia which have developed support for their ship building industries, either directly or indirectly. However the sector in Turkey has been mostly left out of the incentives. In the new investment incentive system the maritime and ship construction sectors must be included.”

- Maritime sector is the country’s star sector

Relating how Turkey’s economy is achieving great success thanks to the private sector, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that Turkey has grown by 9.6% in the first 9 months of this year, ranking first among EU, OECD and G-20 countries in terms of growth. Stating that as they were contributing to economic growth, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that they have also increased employment, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “During the first 9 months 1.126 million people found registered and insured employment in the private sector.”

Touching on how the maritime sector has developed rapidly in the recent years in terms of both employment and pulling in foreign currency to become one of the star sectors of the country, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “For instance, employment in just ship construction industry reached 40,000 from 5,000 in 10 years. In the same time frame the export volume of the sector has increased from 250 million to 3 billion Dollars. Our shipyards have spread in a wide area from Hopa to İskenderun with correct investment incentives. Shipyard count has increased from 40 to over 100. Turkey has risen from 23rd to within the top 10 countries in the world in terms of ship construction, rsising as far as 5th in terms of orders.

With the efforts of our minister, great amounts of public assistance have been rendered unto our shipyards. For the first time, domestic ship builders are the primary provider for the defense industry; the addition of the ship construction sector to the credit guarantee fund system has been instrumental in alleviating the problems faced in the sector.

From here on end, in coordination with public administration institutions, we will reach more effective resolutions. We are aiming for a foreign trade volume of 1 trillion Dollars, 500 billion of it exports in the year 2023. For this reason, we need to develop and expand our ship construction industry, maritime transportation and seaports.”

Compared with the same term last year, the first 10 months of this year freight income has increased by 160 million Dollars, reaching 2.9 billion Dollars, said Hisarcıklıoğlu and that freight costs have increased by 470 million Dollars, reaching 5.2 billion Dollars.

- Incentives in line with those granted global competitors are required

Stating that the maritime transportation and ship construction have become the pride of Turkey in global competition with the success they’ve achieved, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that they need incentives in line with those granted to their global competitors.

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu went on;

“We are the largest economy and the industrial goods provider between Italy and China and we are on the trade routes. However Holland, with around a fifteenth of our shore length and almost the same economic size, is conducting more loading and offloading than us. On the other hand we are 6th in maritime transportation in Europe. Our potential is much higher though. In the last 5 years, the amount of goods transported via sea in Europe has increased by 3%, ours has increased by 19%. Especially transit transportation is increasing by two times each year. We have surpassed Germany which used to be ahead of us in transportation. This shows our potential in the maritime sector. However, when you disregard fuel oil transportation we still have no seaports that can enter the top 20 in Europe.

What this means is that we need to be incentivizing ship construction, maritime transportation and seaport investments in coordination. Today, our ship construction industry is headed to become a world brand and is in a position to supply for any demand. We are the world’s 6th largest ship builder and 3rd yacht builder in Europe and we have become a global brand. Of course, we cannot achieve growth in the sector without trained manpower.

In this regard, it is very important for our Maritime Trade Chamber to increase its vocational training opportunities. I would like to thank Metin Kalkavan for his vision in this. The fact that he increased the number of vocational high schools from 9 to 59, allowing 32,000 youth to partake in maritime education is a work of vision. Another admirable act is his founding of the Piri Reis University. The Maritime Sector Council is also undertaking significant works. I would like to congratulate Erol Yücel.

As long as the propellers keep turning, Turkey will continue on its route to be one of the world’s 10 largest economies.”

- Reaction to the passing of the bill in the French National Parliament

Touching on the bill regarding the alleged Armenian genocide being passed in the French National Parliament and how it negatively affects Turkish-French relations, Hisarcıklıoğlu said:

“The bill passed by the France National Parliament to the Senate has been recorded in the history of Turkey-France relations as a black stain. France, disregarding the works of scientists and historians and the documentation to be found in archives has attempted to rewrite official history with a political decision.

During the French Enlightenment everything won the right to be defended in a court of reason. This decision, aimed at depriving an idea of self-expression has failed in terms of conscience and justice. France has regressed 300 years with this decision, denied its own history of enlightenment and chosen the Dark Ages for itself. ‘The blindness of thought is worse than the blindness of sight’ goes the French proverb. French politics, in our view, are blind!

Politicians who put their personal gain before that of their country should know that truths are above the law. The most basic truth is that no idea can be forbidden. We sincerely hope that this unjust enterprise will be halted by the French Senate. We will staunchly continue our campaign to have the French Senate abolish this decision.

- Transportation, Maritime and Communication Minister Binali Yıldırım

Transportation, Maritime and Communication Minister Binali Yıldırım stated, regarding the decision of the French Parliament on the events of 1915, “There is no need to take too seriously the affront to humanity committed in France.”

Minister Yıldırım stated that the economic crisis which started in America and Europe has spread from country to country, shaking down counties’ economies.

- “Maritime sector was affected the worst by the crisis”

Stating that the global economic crisis has affected every sector a varying degrees and that the maritime sector has taken its fair share; Yıldırım said that the maritime sector is closely tied to global trade thus any deterioration finances is reflected fourfold on the sector.

Yıldırım stated that the seaport the foundation of which was laid down earlier this year in Çandarlı would be one of the 10 largest in the world.
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