Double Pride at Asyaport: Turkish Flagged MED Antalya Enters Service, Green Port Certificate Obtained

A ceremony was held at Asyaport Port, located in the Süleymanpaşa district of Tekirdağ, to mark the addition of the Turkish flagged container ship MED Antalya to the fleet and the acquisition of Turkey's first 'Green Port Certificate' by Asyaport.

The event was attended by the General Director of Maritime Affairs Ünal Baylan, Tekirdağ Governor Recep Soytürk, Chairman of the Board of Asyaport Ahmet Soyuer, Chairman of Medlog Logistics Emre Soyuer, Süleymanpaşa District Governor Mahmut Tunçer, Süleymanpaşa Mayor Volkan Nallar, President of Tekirdağ Chamber of Commerce and Industry Cengiz Günay, Secretary General of the Thrace Development Agency Mahmut Şahin, former AK Party Tekirdağ Member of Parliament Mustafa Yel, and former Tekirdağ Metropolitan Mayor Kadir Albayrak, along with many other guests.

In his speech at the program, Medlog Shipping Technical Manager Hızır Gökçe Gülelçe stated that Medlog Shipping, operating under the MSC Group, currently serves with 13 Turkish flagged ships and a carrying capacity of 23,000 TEU. He expressed that the newly added MED Antalya ship has a capacity of 2,553 TEU and mentioned that approximately 600 Turkish sailors are employed within the company.

Gülelçe emphasized that Asyaport is one of the important centers for transit container transportation in Turkey, noting that with the expansion investment planned to be completed in the autumn months, the port will be able to serve three mainline vessels simultaneously.

Asyaport Operations, Construction, and Infrastructure Manager Besim Dönmez announced in his speech that the port has qualified to receive the 'Green Port Certificate,' which was awarded for the first time in Turkey. Dönmez explained that thanks to the system that provides shore power to vessels approaching the port, ships can continue their operations without running their generators, thereby reducing carbon emissions and noise.

Dönmez indicated that as of June 18, 2026, approximately 8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity had been supplied to 144 vessels, stating that this application has prevented the emission of approximately 5,500 tons of carbon dioxide.

The Asyaport management also announced a project aimed at fully converting heavy vehicles and auxiliary machinery used in the port area to electric. It was reported that the first four of the 100 ordered electric port tugs have begun service, and an additional 30 vehicles are planned to join the fleet by the end of the year.

During the ceremony, participants commented on both the commissioning of the MED Antalya ship, which contributes to strengthening the Turkish merchant fleet, and the Green Port Certificate obtained by Asyaport, which stands out with its environmentally friendly investments.

Source: SeaNews Türkiye