Greek Ro-Ro carries local goods from Turkey to Egypt

HATAY - Anatolia News Agency

Customs Minister Hayati Yazıcı (C) and Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin (3rd R) and Limak Chairman Nihat Özdemir (2nd R) open the Limak facility. AA photo

Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) services to Egypt from Limak Port İskenderun in the southern province of Hatay officially began yesterday, aimed at bypassing the road freight through unrest hit Syria.

The special Ro-Ro ships, which are called Ropax and also transport people, were hired from Greece by Sisa Denizyolları, the operator.

Delivering a speech at the opening ceremony, Turkish Customs and Trade Minister Hayati Yazıcı said the Ro-Ro ferry services would serve as an alternative transportation instrument to the region. He added that the port would contribute significantly to Turkey’s trade.

The Syrian unrest has badly hit Turkey’s trade with the Middle East, causing particularly great losses for exporters in the southern provinces. The Turkey-Syria tension and related security concerns have also affected Turkey’s rail links with Iraq, a leading trade partner.

Turkish businessmen are seeking to compensate for such losses by turning attention to Arab Spring nations such as Libya and Egypt, their traditional markets and business partners, as these North African states are claiming economic recovery.

The Ro-Ro ships operate to Port Said in Egypt as Limak, the port’s operator, is seeking to expand the business to Libya’s Tripoli and Syria’s Tartus. Speaking at the Limak Port İskenderun opening, Yazıcı went on to say that Turkey was a country playing a key role in regional and global integration.