Istanbul to Relaunch Cruise Ship Port Project

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Turkey to relaunch cancelled Istanbul port project

ANKARA, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Turkey will relaunch a cruise ship port project in Istanbul after a 3.54 billion euro ($4.3 billion) bid led by cruise line operator Royal Caribbean Cruises failed to gain official approval, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said.

Late on Tuesday the High Planning Board (YPK), chaired by Erdogan and including four senior ministers, rejected the September tender that would have awarded the U.S.-Norwegian company and Turkish partner Global the landmark Galataport build-operate-transfer project.

The project, seen key to upgrading tourism in the city of 12 million people, has been marred by controversy including allegations of irregularities in the tender process and criticism that the bid price was too low.

"Even if we cancel the Galataport tender now we will not give up on the tender. We will hold it again in a new way. That is, we will hold the auction again," Erdogan said.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener, a member of the board, told reporters it had returned the project to Turkey's Privatisation Administration (OIB) for a review.

Sener said a series of court cases filed against the government regarding the project had led to the board's decision.

The Galataport project envisaged the construction and operation of a 1 kilometre long marine dock, hotels, shopping malls and other facilities in central Istanbul.

Sources close to the project said the OIB and Turkish Maritime Authority, which owns the port area, might revise the project and propose it again to the government.

Turkey -- famous for its historic sites of Istanbul, ancient ruins and Mediterranean beaches -- hosted 20.5 million foreign tourists last year. It is keen to boost its infrastructure to attract more visitors.

The Turkish economy is recovering from a 2001 financial crisis. It put some of its most important state-held companies to tender last year.

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Ports gear up for cruise boom
13 July 2009
Lloyd's List

Izmir Chamber of Commerce executive board president Ekrem Demirtas described the growth of cruise tourism to Izmir as “remarkable”.

Visitor numbers to the port have increased from 3,000 in 2003 to 321,000 last year. The reason for the rapid rise dates back to a ‘tourism for 12 months’ initiative launched by the chamber in 2004, Mr Demirtas said at the recent European Cruise Council meeting in Rome.

The initiative specifically targeted cruise lines and included the renovation and restoration of Izmir’s passenger lounge and quayside.

Mr Demirtas explained that the chamber ensured that passengers got the maximum out of their visit to Izmir by arranging for information boards to go on the ships to provide information on the port before they disembark.

The chamber has also been sponsoring excavation work at historic sites such as Tepekule, Bayrakli (Old Smyrna) and Agora. Shore excursions on offer include trips to Selcuk, Pergamon and, of course, Ephesus, which many cruise passengers also access from the port of Kusadasi.

Turkish ports evidently have a wealth of different experiences to offer for the visiting cruise passenger, with everything from a visit to the battlefields of the First World War Gallipoli campaign to the ancient city of Troy.

This year Izmir expects to receive 400,000 passengers with 140 cruise calls.

The target is to increase this figure to 1m visitors and 250 calls by 2015. Plans are afoot to build a new port, Uckuyular, with piers capable of handling between four and six ships at once.

A new 12,000 sq m terminal is planned, which will include shopping and catering facilities, as well as a hotel and exhibition area. Offering exhibition space has become a popular approach for cruise ports to cover the low season

Tui UK and Ireland cruise director David Selby said Thomson Cruises’ programme for 2010 reflected the fact that the company believed the eastern Mediterranean was the next “hot spot” for cruising.

Thomson is launching a full season of cruises out of Marmaris using the Thomson Celebration.

According to data supplied by the UK Passenger Shipping Association, Marmaris received 90,000 visitors last year. The same statistics also state that 644,000 passengers are expected to visit Kusadasi this year compared with 562,000 last year.

Kusadasi has a new cruiseship terminal for which the Turkish government granted a 30-year concession to a special-purpose Turkish company, Ege Liman Isletmeleri. The project, which began in 2004, involved a $24.3m concession payment to the Turkish government, construction of a new terminal and extension of the existing berths. It also aimed to make Kusadasi compliant with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.

Among the shareholders in the company is Royal Caribbean, with a stake of just under 30%.

Antalya is another port that is hoping to see a substantial increase in the number of passengers visiting in 2010. German cruise company AIDA is including Antalya in its itineraries as a new base port from 2010.

Antalya is also investing in new terminal facilities and hopes to boost passenger volumes to 120,000 by attracting cruise companies such as MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises.

Bodrum is also doing its best to increase cruise tourism and statistics point to a rapid increase in the number of passengers visiting the port, from 13,550 passengers in 2007 to 93,680 in 2008.

Cruise calls have risen dramatically from 60 to 162. The number of cruise lines has grown from five to 15 — an increase of 200% between 2007 and 2008.

The port authority says it can service two large cruiseships at a time with three tenders. Its new pier is 240 m long and the port has a total surface area of 236,800 sq ft, with a terminal building close to the city centre and further plans for expansion of catering and shopping facilities.

Cruises to the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea ports would not be complete without a call in Istanbul, and most cruise companies spend two days in the city in order to ensure passengers have the maximum amount of time to explore the many spectacular sites.

Istanbul is planning to build new port facilities for cruiseships, which it hopes will double its capacity for cruise passengers. Total passenger figures for this year are expected to be just under 500,000.

Most cruiseships dock in Istanbul at the Yolcu Salonu in Karakoy.

Silversea, Seabourn and Sea Dream Yacht Club are just some of the cruise companies that have cruises starting this year.

[www.sercan.de]

Ataport

[/QUOTE]

Istanbul Seaport
http://www.rencons.com/dvlp.html

Project Directory
Status: UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Project Development: Renaissance Development Investor: Ataport Inc. (Renaissance Development & Koçhan J.V.)
Land Owner: 49 Years right of use
Concept Architect: 5 + Design / USA

Shop Mix
Land Area: 440.000 m2
Total Construction Area: 650.000 m2
Cruise Ship Terminal: 18.000 m2
Retail and Entertainment Area: 216.000 m2
Office Zones: 140.000 m2
Exhibition Center: 20.000 m2
Apart Lofts: 92.000 m2
Hotels: 160.000 m2
Marina: 5.000 m2
Other Facilities: 26.000 m2

[UltrAslanErkan]

Let's hope that also Galataport will have a nice Project, as Ataport is, and will be u/c soon.

[www.sercan.de]

Ataport

Originally Posted by Erhan

http://www.5designarch.com/projects/?p=0017&f=m

[brick84]

Very nice project.

[www.sercan.de]

Tuzla Marina

Originally Posted by Erhan

Tuzla Marina Projesi

http://www.tuzla.bel.tr/icerik/134/6...a-projesi.aspx
http://www.bayraktarinsaat.com.tr/tr...marina/24.html