Arkas Holding made significant progress in 2013
in spite of the Euro crisis in Europe and the Arab
Spring that is still affecting the whole the world,
Arkas maintained its influence by continuing to
invest inside and outside of Turkey.Arkas increased its brand value in 2013 thanks to
both the business activities in its areas of
expertise and its social responsibility projects.
Arkas’ brand value was reported to be 347
million dollars, placing it in 23rd place on the
“Turkey’s most valuable brands” list published
for the 7th time by Brand Finance, a leading
international brand evaluation firm. Arkas went
up one spot on the list by increasing its value by
120 million dollars in one year, giving it a brand
ranking of “A”, which means “Strong”.In the last quarter of 2013, Arkas Holding
obtained a syndicated loan worth 133 million
dollars with a term of 5 years in order to help the
corporation quickly reach its investment goals in
the areas of port operation, railways and
international shipping.Arkas makes it into the first league in the world ranking for fleet ownershipArkas, which has the largest container fleet in
Turkey, continued to invest in transport vessels in
2013. The company purchased four new vessels,increasing the number of its container vessels to
32 and its total shipping capacity to 40,542 TEU.
Arkas ranked 24th in the world in a study on
“Container Fleet Ownership” done by Clarkson
Research Services Limited, a respected London-
based research company known around the
world for global research on the shipping sector.
Arkas was the first Turkish company listed in the
top 25 of the first ranking, which is considered
to be the “first league”.According to a report based on Alphaliner’s
analyses that was published in December by
Dynamar B.V., an international market research
company for the shipping industry, Arkas Line
ranks 31st among international container
shipping lines based on the number of vessels it
operates and its total transportation capacity.Arkas Line aims to go wherever Turkish
exporters want to go: The latest
destination is West AfricaIn 2012, Arkas Line began providing regular
container shipping service between ports in the
Mediterranean, North Africa and the Black Sea.
In 2013, Arkas Line expanded this service and
increased its capacity. Arkas Line began
transporting freight to ports in Equatorial
Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast with
its own vessels on the new West Africa Service.Freight that comes from any port in Arkas Line’s service
network to Algeciras port is transferred there and
forwarded to West African ports, while freight that comes
from West African ports is transferred at Algeciras and
shipped to its final destination by Arkas Line.A new foreign partner - STILL ARSERGerman intralogistics company and forklift manufacturer
STILL has joined forces with Arkas to strengthen its
positioning in the developing Turkish market. The goal of
this partnership, which combines STILL’s technological
superiority and know-how with Arkas’ experience and
influence in the region, is to produce results that will
expand beyond Turkey’s borders. The goal of both partners
for the jointly established company, STILL ARSER, is to
strengthen their position in the Turkish market and to meet
the increasing needs of international customers who do
business in Turkey.Excellent quality and new investments for MarportMarport purchased 10 new STS cranes and STS Gantry
cranes, making it possible to provide service to more vessels
thanks to shorter loading and unloading times.
The total number of cranes in the port is now 17, which includes the existing 7 cranes. Marport also continued to improve its business processes by implementing the latest technology. Customers now have access to a “Marport” app that can be downloaded for free from App Store and Google Play that makes it possible to instantly monitor any procedure related to a container. Marport continued topursue perfection in 2013, receiving an ISO 10002 Customer Satisfaction Management Certificate from KalDer (Quality Association). After that, Marport received a 5-star Competency in Excellence certificate in December in an evaluation performed by KalDer. The company’s next goal is to win the Turkish Grand Award for Excellence.Investments in logisticsThe two biggest recent developments for the Turkish logistics sector are the Marmaray tunnel under the Bosphorus and the Railway Liberalization Law. Arkas is closely monitoring these two matters as well as making foreign investments in preparation. Although the Marmaray Project mostly made headlines because of the benefits it will provide to passengers, the tunnel will also generate greater potential in Turkey for freight shipping. When the Marmaray is completed, freight traffic between Europeand Asia will multiply significantly. Arkas continued to work on developing “Land Ports” as part of its Anatolia Project. Ar-Gü, an Arkas company that handles rail transportation, bought 100 railcars from TÜLOMSAŞ (Turkish Locomotive and Engine Industry Ltd.). Arkas Logistics has expanded its range of services with a Dry Bulk, Heavy Load and Project Department, which it created in order to be able to offer flexible solutions to its customers. Arlogic established an office in Azerbaijan as part of its foreign expansion plans. The company offers reliable logistics service with reliable business partners from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan to destinations all around the world as well as to Turkey.
The total number of cranes in the port is now 17, which includes the existing 7 cranes. Marport also continued to improve its business processes by implementing the latest technology. Customers now have access to a “Marport” app that can be downloaded for free from App Store and Google Play that makes it possible to instantly monitor any procedure related to a container. Marport continued topursue perfection in 2013, receiving an ISO 10002 Customer Satisfaction Management Certificate from KalDer (Quality Association). After that, Marport received a 5-star Competency in Excellence certificate in December in an evaluation performed by KalDer. The company’s next goal is to win the Turkish Grand Award for Excellence.Investments in logisticsThe two biggest recent developments for the Turkish logistics sector are the Marmaray tunnel under the Bosphorus and the Railway Liberalization Law. Arkas is closely monitoring these two matters as well as making foreign investments in preparation. Although the Marmaray Project mostly made headlines because of the benefits it will provide to passengers, the tunnel will also generate greater potential in Turkey for freight shipping. When the Marmaray is completed, freight traffic between Europeand Asia will multiply significantly. Arkas continued to work on developing “Land Ports” as part of its Anatolia Project. Ar-Gü, an Arkas company that handles rail transportation, bought 100 railcars from TÜLOMSAŞ (Turkish Locomotive and Engine Industry Ltd.). Arkas Logistics has expanded its range of services with a Dry Bulk, Heavy Load and Project Department, which it created in order to be able to offer flexible solutions to its customers. Arlogic established an office in Azerbaijan as part of its foreign expansion plans. The company offers reliable logistics service with reliable business partners from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan to destinations all around the world as well as to Turkey.