18 >> 17 an usefulness


Issue 1 2021 - Freight Business Journal as alternative


to Dover. Hull is also a useful northern


entry port and Davies Turner is also considering operating into Teesport, where there is major potential business from the retailer distribution centres that have been established there. However, while the regional


ports could play an increased role, “they can’t come close to the volume that the Channel Ports handle,” says Williams. “To put that into context, Dover handles 2.5 million trucks a year, the Channel Tunnel 1.7 million, but Hull handles just 66,000.” The weak Turkish lira has boost


also helped exports


from the country to the UK and EU, although this does


make imports from Europe into Turkey very


expensive.


Volumes into the country have reduced as a result, which has caused problems with trailer availability as well as increasing the cost of Turkey export trailers, although this is insignificant compared with the hike in Asian container rates. Costs of operating trailers to


and from Turkey can though be mitigated by switching to double-deck units, which offer much more cubic capacity for virtually the same operating cost. Davies Turner’s Turkish partner Ekol Logistics is set to purchase an additional 500 new trailers this year which will enhance security and payload, says Williams. The double-deck units, which operate not only between Turkey and the UK but


to and from Continental Europe too, are ideal both for imports from Turkey such as clothing and exports such as car parts. Brexit


will bring about


changes to the way Turkish traffic is handled from a customs point of view. Davies Turner was


at the time of


writing investigating whether it could use a T-form guarantee all the way from Trieste to the UK. Depending on the ongoing


negotiations between the UK and the EU, it is possible that imports into the UK from Turkey could be subject to duty, if the UK cannot come up with an equivalent to the EU ATR1 preference certificate. As this would add 6-10% to the cost of anything imported from the country, it could raise prices to consumers and might


DGS opens extra office to handle Brexit workload


London-based Turkish specialist DGS (Daily Groupage Services) has taken up an additional office in Cheriton to serve as a backup office to its Dover branch where it plans to do all its EU clearances. It has also taken on additional 20 trainees to deal with the workload, says owner, Sela Koydengoctu. So pressing is the Brexit issue


that he has put on hold earlier plans to set up an office in the North of England. DGS’s Dover office has been


in operation for four years now and has been open 24 hours, seven days a week since January 2019. However Brexit will not


have any negative impact for DGS he adds. “On the contrary, we have seen some early positive results with increased number of shipments coming in from Turkey since the announcement period.”


of transition DGS operates daily


departures to Turkey, including Istanbul, Izmir and Bursa. It has just agreed on a joint venture with Oregon which supplies Community Transit guarantees to many hauliers in Turkey and Europe “which will help us in making sure that we have enough cover to meet demand. With this joint venture, we are confident our progress in the Turkish market and customs clearance sector will definitely speed up,” says Koydengoctu. He adds that DGS’ transit


time overall has improved recently but there are still issues especially when using the route via the Turkey to Trieste ferry. “Having to use the train across Austria is always a big issue with cancellations and congestion,” he says. Covid has had some effect


on the trade from Turkey, of course. Koydengoctu states: “We had a couple of months of negative impact in


around June and July but we managed to reach our overall targets by October. We did indeed carry quite a lot of PPE equipment and hand sanitisers manufactured


in Turkey


because of the quicker supply time compared with the Far East.” Meanwhile, DGS’s Turkish


partner IKRA has bought additional trailers to improve service and meet growing demand. Its cold storage bonded facility in Adana “has been a real success and is the only one in the region”, Koydengoctu adds. Usage is mainly for food products destined for the Middle Eastern countries.


DGS is half-owned by Ikra,


which supplies drivers, trailers and traction from its fleet of 250 or so vehicles. It has depots in Istanbul, Adana and the Black Sea region, along with an extensive office network throughout Turkey.


be politically embarrassing to the UK government, but there would be ways of working around it – possibly a duty ‘amnesty’ in the first few months after Brexit followed by the signing of a preferential trade deal between the UK and Turkey. The fact that Turkey has


always been outside the EU and Davies Turner is one of the major operators on the route has in one respect stood the forwarder in good stead – its people have already had a very good grounding


in customs


procedures and requirements compared with companies whose business is mostly in the EU and who will have to learn new skills after Brexit.


///TURKEY Williams explains: “We have


the largest trailer service to the UK from Turkey, which has meant we have kept this skill set within the Davies Turner


framework. This has


enabled us to upscale the skill in every regional hub. Added to this is our very successful apprenticeship scheme, which has


seen entrants spending


time on all our departments. It means we have a skills base that is not permanently assigned to customs clearance duties but that can be tapped into with very little notice – so we are well placed to deal with the challenges that Brexit brings to our Industry.” One change that has come about in Turkey’s trade in


recent years is that it has less of a role as a staging post for other countries in the Middle or Near East region. The vicious civil war in Syria, refugee camps on Turkey’s frontiers and other political problems has hardened borders with neighbouring countries, while the Covid 19 outbreak has further reduced cross-border trade, other than very localised traffic. “We don’t expect any changes at least until Covid 19 has gone,” says Williams. Turkey does however


remain a transit point for Davies Turner’s traffic to Iran, which continues despite the up and down relations between that country and the rest of the world.


to Southampton. The ONE consortium has


CMA CGM has upgraded its NC Levant Express and Femex services to the East Mediterranean/ Levant and West Turkey respectively into stand-alone weekly routes and has replaced the UK call in Felixstowe with one in Southampton. The new NC Levant Express is operated by five


ships of


3,800-4,000teu and calls at Southampton,


North West


Continental ports, Tanger, Malta, Alexandria, Damietta, Beirut,


Mersin, Iskenderun and Algeciras before returning to Southampton CMA CGM has also introduced


a stand-alone weekly FEMEX service between North Europe and West Turkey. It offers transit time improvements of around 3½ days. Operated by four vessels


of 3,500-4,200teu, it calls in Southampton – which replaces Felixstowe - and other north-west Continental ports followed by Malta, Gebze, Ambarli, Gemlik, Aliaga and Tanger before returning


Cargo-partner fast- forwards in Turkey


German forwarder Cargo-partner has expanded its network in Turkey rapidly in a short time. Having started out in the country in 2018, today it is represented by its own offices in Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir, Gaziantep and Mersin. And, adds managing director


Turkey, Kursad Tanriverdi: “We are planning to open new branches in several more cities that will focus on project cargo and airfreight. “ Cargo-partner is working to


build consolidation services for all modes of transport and provide full service for all its customers. Tanriverdi continues:


“Despite the challenging market environment, we have managed to improve our results in 2020 thanks to our tailor-made emergency solutions and flexible alternatives for Covid-19-related


transport restrictions. We have put together 24/7 emergency teams to help our customers with their urgent transport, and we can deliver time-critical shipments to their destination within 3-4 hours. We expect that our growth will continue stronger in the coming year as production will start picking up again.” Turkey is a very important


transport hub. Sea ports in more than seven cities connect Turkey to CIS countries, the Balkans, Central Europe and the Black Sea region. National carrier Turkish Airlines has improved its service and capacity in recent years and has positioned the country at the forefront of the competition, he adds. The new airport in Istanbul


offers significant advantages. Moreover, the cargo runways at the former Istanbul Ataturk


meanwhile added two new direct services from North Europe to the East Med-Levant and Marmara regions, its first direct sailings between the two regions. The


North Europe East


Mediterranean Express (NEX) calls in Southampton and NW Europe, then Tangier, Malta, Alexandria (Dekheila), Damietta, Beirut, Mersin, Iskenderun and Algeciras before returning to Southampton. The North Europe Turkey


Express (NTX) calls at Southampton and NW Europe followed by Malta, Gebze, Istanbul (Ambarli), Gemlik, Aliaga andTangier and then Southampton.


Airport are also still in use, so there is plenty of capacity. A new rail service is planned


which will connect Turkey to China in 12 days with the first trial load carried a few weeks ago. New highways have been


designed specifically for freight transport and allow shorter transit times. Tanriverdi states: “These infrastructure improvements, combined with the dynamic industry of the country, which relies on a young workforce, make the country attractive for foreign logistics investors.” Turkey does though have a


lot of trucks and this leads to congestions at times, especially at the western customs borders. In addition, the global equipment shortage issue is also affecting logistics in Turkey. However, points out Tanriverdi


: “Thanks to our cooperation with customs brokers in the country, we can provide our customers with detailed consultation about the current issues and procedures.”


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