With TOC Europe 2007 in full swing, organizer TOC Worldwide Events is already planning ahead with the announcement that the 2008 show will be held in the rapidly growing port of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 17 to 19 June 2008.
Back in Turkey, the opening day of this year's TOC Europe got off to an auspicious start yesterday, Tuesday 19 June, in the vibrant port city of Istanbul with an opening address from Turkey's Minister for Transport, His Excellency Mr Ismet Yilmaz. Mr Yilmaz welcomed delegates and spoke of the ongoing investment in Turkey's numerous container gateways.
"There are approximately 314 coastal faculties along the 8,333km coastline of Turkey, including ports, quays, marinas and fishing ports. Among these ports there are 179 ports which vessels of 500 grt and more can approach, which are operated by public or private organizations within the scope of the ISPS code, and which are open to international traffic," said Mr Yilmaz.
Expanding on the theme of ongoing privatization, Mr Yilmaz said that 13 of the ports belonging to the Turkish Maritime Organization had been privatized. Meanwhile, two Turkish Railway Administration port privatizations have been completed with a further four currently in progress.
Following Mr Yilmaz' address, Lucien Arkas, Chairman of Turkish transport giant the Arkas Group, welcomed delegates to the 31st TOC Europe event. Mr Arkas spoke of the growth of container traffic in the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean region and the challenges that growth is posing for the ports and terminals industry. He highlighted Turkey's increasingly crucial role in facilitating burgeoning cargo volumes and serving the region as a whole. Arkas has provided valuable support to TOC Europe 2007, with group company Marport Terminal Operators S A also hosting a spectacular first-day gala dinner for participants on Su Ada island - a private island at the heart of the Bosphorus.
Other highlights of the first day of TOC Europe 2007 included a presentation by David Appleton, President, APL Europe, looking at "The Challenges of Growth & Scale in Europe". Mr Appleton said that the exponential growth in global container volumes - regionally, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean in particular - posed significant challenges to the current infrastructure. He explained that greater volumes of imports from Asia would put increased pressure on the whole supply chain resulting in congestion and a possible constraint to consumer supply and general economic growth.
Mr Appleton identified "eight pillars for action" in coping effectively with growth in containerized traffic. In particular, he pinpointed the need for collaboration between all players in freight transport to effectively communicate the infrastructure challenges to government and the public at large. "We must not allow our industry to impinge on the public consciousness because of a failure to deliver the goods. We must instead focus on highlighting the way in which we have collectively and successfully facilitated the enormous surge in global trade," he said.
TOC Europe is the container shipping and port industry's primary annual event, attracting delegates, exhibitors and visitors from around the world to network and discuss the opportunities open to and the challenges faced by all those involved in the movement of containers.
This year's event in Istanbul represents TOC Europe's Turkish debut. Around 700 visitors and delegates attended the event on the first day, joining more than 110 exhibitors from around the world.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
