SHIPROUTE '26: Unveiling Innovations and Collaborations in Maritime Industry

SHIPROUTE '26 Brings Together Industry Representatives from 40 Different Countries in Istanbul to Chart New Routes in Maritime!

The Shipping Route Istanbul (SHIPROUTE), organized by the Association of Coastal Shipowners and Operators (KOSDER), took place on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at Divan Kuruçeşme. The event, with Germany as the guest country, saw the participation of over 600 representatives from the maritime sector in the conference section and nearly 700 at the gala dinner.

Held for the third time, SHIPROUTE brought together industry representatives from 40 different countries to evaluate common issues in maritime, develop new collaborations, and generate solutions for the future.

The opening of the event featured a short film that addressed the maritime ties between Turkey and Germany, starting from the Savarona built in Germany, and highlighted the historical development of Turkish maritime. The film, specially prepared for the event, received great interest from the participants.

Among the attendees of SHIPROUTE '26 were Germany's Consul General in Istanbul, Dr. Regine Grienberger, and her Deputy Martin Graf, Pakistan's Consul General in Istanbul, Khawaja Khurram Naeem, Panama's Consul General in Istanbul, Juan Jaime Enrique Delvalle Vega, Malta's Consul General in Istanbul, Walter Mallia, General Director of the Coastal Safety Authority, Mustafa Bankaoğlu, Deutsche Bundesbank Turkey Representative and Financial Affairs Officer, Sebastian Geiger, Director General of Commercial Shipping at the Panama Maritime Authority, Ramon Franco, Head of Port State Control Department, Eng. David Miranda, and Head of Recognized Organizations Control Department, Eng. Jose De Gracia.

Also present at the event were İMEAK Chamber of Shipping Board Chairman Tamer Kıran and Assembly Chairman Başaran Bayrak, Panama Maritime Chamber President Rene Gomez, Chairman of the German Shipowners' Association (VDR) Gaby Bornheim, FONASBA Board Chairman Fulvio Carlini, Vice President of the International Chamber of Shipping Metin Düzgit, President of the German-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Turkey) Bige Yücel, and Deutsche Bank Turkey Manager Orhan Özalp. Representatives from international maritime organizations, sector companies, and financial institutions, along with numerous industry professionals, participated in the gathering.

Neslihan Torlak: “We Will Always Prioritize Common Sense and Cooperation”

In her opening speech, KOSDER Board Chair Neslihan Torlak expressed her satisfaction with Germany's participation as a guest country and emphasized the importance of the collaboration between KOSDER and VDR in enhancing the maritime relations of the two countries. Torlak thanked VDR Board Chair Gaby Bornheim, General Manager Martin Kröger, and board members for their contributions and support.

Torlak also thanked representatives of leading organizations in world maritime, stating that SHIPROUTE aims to bring together the knowledge and experience of the sector on a common ground, and she said:

“Through valuable experts who have a say in global maritime transportation, we aim to create new routes that will add value to our maritime today and in the future, and to present approaches that will guide the future of the maritime sector based on its current state.”

Touching on the importance of unity and solidarity, Torlak continued her remarks:

“As the representative of our association, which has hosted this special event for the third time, I would like to get a promise from you: We will not give up on unity, nor will we allow fragmentation. We will always prioritize common sense and cooperation, and we will embrace our potential.”

Torlak expressed the goals of SHIPROUTE with the following words:

“As a fruit of the responsibility we have undertaken to represent Turkish maritime, we aim to collaboratively produce solutions to the common issues of world maritime, establish strong and lasting communication, and lay the groundwork for new collaborations through SHIPROUTE.”

Following Torlak, VDR Board Chair Gaby Bornheim and Germany's Consul General in Istanbul, Dr. Regine Grienberger, also emphasized the importance of maritime relations and inter-sectoral dialogue between Turkey and Germany.

The Future of Maritime Evaluated in 3 Panel Sessions

The conference section began with the keynote speech titled “Short Sea Shipping: Changes, Connections, and the Power of Trust” by FONASBA Board Chair Fulvio Carlini.

After Carlini's speech, the first panel titled “Geopolitical Tensions and Maritime Transportation – Close Dialogue with Politics” was moderated by KOSDER Board Chair Neslihan Torlak. The panel featured speakers including Germany's Consul General in Istanbul, Dr. Regine Grienberger, İMEAK Chamber of Shipping Board Chair Tamer Kıran, VDR Board Chair Gaby Bornheim, and Panama Maritime Chamber President Rene Gomez.

The second panel titled “Global Credit Solutions for Maritime Transportation: Risk Management in Today’s Unpredictable World” was moderated by Prof. Dr. Oral Erdoğan, Chair of the Turkish Lloyd Foundation Board. Dr. Jerzy Majewski, Director of NorthCape, Metin Düzgit, Vice President of the International Chamber of Shipping, Orhan Özalp, Manager of Deutsche Bank Turkey, and JJ (JianJun) Wang, CEO of Goldsea International, shared their evaluations regarding maritime financing and risk management.

The third and final panel of the conference addressed the topic “Green Energy and Digitalization in Maritime Transportation: What Have We Learned So Far? (EU ETS and FuelEU).” Moderated by Nils Aden, General Manager of Harren Group, the panel featured speakers including Martin Kröger, CEO of VDR, Cüneyt Kazokoğlu, Director of Energy Economics and Energy Transition at FGE NexantECA, Mehtap Özdemir, Secretary General of GİSBİR, and Orestis Nikolopoulos, Director of OceanScore. Current evaluations regarding green transformation, digitalization, and related regulations were shared during the panel.

International Gathering Concluded with Gala Dinner

The cocktail held after the conference provided participants with the opportunity to exchange views, conduct bilateral meetings, and establish new business connections.

The gala dinner began with the screening of the short film prepared for the event. Following speeches by KOSDER Board Chair Neslihan Torlak and VDR Board Chair Gaby Bornheim, representatives of the sponsors who contributed to the event's realization despite challenging conditions were presented with thank-you gifts amid applause.

The evening concluded with a performance by Ezgi Alaş and traditional Black Sea folk dances and horon in which participants joined. SHIPROUTE '26 brought the international maritime community together in Istanbul through the discussions held throughout the day and the new connections established.

Source: SeaNews Türkiye