Turkey is completing the construction of a large-scale logistics port ''Iyidere'' in the Black Sea province of Rize in the northeast of the country. Currently, the site has reached 82% physical readiness, with all infrastructure works planned to be completed by the end of this year, after which the construction of the superstructure will begin. The news was announced by Turkey's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, quoted by TRT Haber.
''To date, we have reached 82% of the physical readiness of the project... Our goal is to complete all infrastructure works by the end of this year. After that, we plan to start work on the superstructure, Uraloğlu said.
According to the minister, geopolitical risks, in particular the Russian-Ukrainian war, the situation in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, demonstrate the need to develop safe alternative transport corridors.
''We are establishing this port as a hub that will better connect the Eastern Black Sea region with national and international trade networks and strengthen the production and logistics capabilities of our region... The presence of safe, alternative and sustainable corridors is not a choice, but a necessity,'' added the Turkish Transport Minister.
After its official commissioning, the logistics hub will have an annual capacity to handle 3 million tons of general cargo, 8 million tons of bulk cargo, 100,000 containers (TEU) and 100 000 vehicles. The facility is designed to accommodate large-tonnage ships in the Black Sea, with 657,000 square meters of logistics area and a total length of quays of 2,220 meters. The project fits into the broader strategy for the development of the Middle Corridor - the trade route between Asia and Europe, bypassing Russia, along which Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia also put into operation the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line in June this year.