From tradition to necessity
With a ship building history of over 700 years, Türkiye is one of the leading producers and exporters in the ship and yacht building industry.
A seafaring culture is part of Türkiye’s heritage, and maritime transport is significant in terms of way of life, as well as being of great economic value to the country. Türkiye’s location is cru cial geopolitically and strategically – the land roads that join Asia and Eu rope, extending from the Balkans to Iran and the Middle East, link with the maritime routes that connect the Black Sea with the Mediterranean. Maritime transportation is pre ferred across the world when it comes to moving large volumes and heavy loads, as it is more ad vantageous economically than land or rail. The fact that 80 per cent of the world’s trade volume is han dled through maritime transporta tion indicates the benefits of Tur key’s geopolitical location, and the ship and yacht building industry thus has a significant position in the country.
Ranks among the top five countries in the world
The Turkish ship and yacht build ing industry ranks among the lead ers in terms of production. Türkiye builds a variety of ships and yachts, in particular chemical tankers, cruise ships, cargo ships and mega yachts. In line with production, Tur key exports to more than 20 coun tries, and ranks among the top five countries in the world in terms of ship and yacht exports. The indus try as a whole is led by the Far East ern countries that have the advan tage of huge government incentives.
Türkiye is expected to improve its ranking in the ship and yacht build ing industry, and the products that stood out in 2015 were cargo ships and tow boats. Total cargo ship and tow boat exports are at a level of $300 million.
Having great potential
The Turkish ship and yacht build ing industry has increased its ship and yacht exports to $1.03 billion in 2014-2015 and it holds a leading ranking in the world.
Considering Türkiye’s potential, this figure is expected to rise to a much higher level in the near fu ture. Cargo ships constitute about 45 per cent of ship exports, and tankers have a 30 per cent share in exports. Even though the share of yachts and recreational crafts make up just 10 per cent of total ship exports, Tur key is one of the leading producers of mega yachts, ranking fifth in the world and the industry is working on branding in order to further im prove this production.
Türkiye is also successful in terms of custom-made yachts. The coun try has proven to be the home of no table yacht interior designs, and is preferred particularly for its high-quality materials used in produc tion. The major markets of the Turk ish ship and yacht building industry include the EU countries, particu larly Norway, the Marshall Islands, Malta, Saudi Arabia, Gulf countries, and Russia.
International Competitiveness Improvement Project in the ship and yacht building industry
The Ship and Yacht Internation al Competitiveness Improvement Project was established by the Turk ish Ship and Yacht Exporters’ Asso ciation and is a landmark of efforts within the industry.
The project focuses primari ly on the yacht building industry, and aims to improve the competi tive power of Türkiye’s yacht build ing industry in international mar kets. The scope of the project was gradually extended to be more ef ficient and it now includes the de termination of the industry’s needs, meeting the training and strategy development requirements of com panies, and introducing these com panies to buyers in target markets. Plans also include conducting and reporting a needs analysis of near ly 20 leading countries in the ship and yacht building industry, and training companies in accordance with this analysis, as well as in cluding them in trade and purchase delegations.
The ship and yacht building in dustry also feels the impact of ad vancing technology and escalat ing competitive conditions, just as with any other sector of the econ omy. The level of development and capacity of the ships and yachts improved to a great extent, thanks in particular to new technologi cal possibilities. The industry has a sufficient number of production centres, technology and manpower, all of which allow it to benefit from global opportunities in the best possible manner.