Turkey will build a large logistics port in the Black Sea
Turkey has completed 82% of the construction work on the large-scale Iyidere logistics port project in the province of Rize in the country's northeast. Infrastructure work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026, after which construction of the superstructure will begin.
“As of today, we have reached 82% physical completion of the project… We aim to complete all infrastructure work by the end of this year. After that, we plan to begin work on the superstructure,” said Uraloğlu.
According to the minister, geopolitical risks, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the situation in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz have highlighted the need to create safer alternative routes for international trade.
“We are developing this port as a hub that will more firmly connect the Eastern Black Sea region with national and international trade networks and strengthen our region’s production and logistics capabilities… Having safe, alternative, and sustainable corridors is not a choice but a necessity,” Uraloglu noted.
Once operational, the Iidere Port will have significant transshipment capacity. Specifically, it will be able to handle the following annually:
- 3 million metric tons of general cargo;
- 8 million metric tons of bulk cargo;
- 100,000 TEU containers;
- 100,000 vehicles.
The port will also be capable of accommodating large-tonnage vessels in the Black Sea.
The total length of the berths will be 2,220 meters, and the logistics area will cover approximately 657,000 square meters.
Thus, Turkey hopes to transform İyidere into a major logistics hub in the Eastern Black Sea region, which is expected to strengthen the region’s trade ties and provide alternative routes for international freight transport.
This was announced by Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, according to TRT Haber.
As a reminder, earlier, the interior ministers of Turkey and Bulgaria, Mustafa Çiftçi and Ivan Demerdzhiev, agreed during talks in Sofia to expand cooperation in managing the shared border combating illegal migration, human trafficking, and drug trafficking. The importance of this land corridor has increased following Bulgaria’s full accession to the Schengen Area.
