Asyaport handled 22,896 TEUs aboard the MSC Maya, which docked at the port. The operation was recorded as the highest volume handled during a single-ship call in Turkey.
Besim Dönmez, Asyaport's director of planning and technical services, announced that the operation set a Turkey record. Dönmez said the previous Turkey record had also been set at Asyaport and that the latest operation exceeded it by 6,000 TEUs.
Dönmez said Asyaport stood out among ports worldwide not only for Turkey's records but also for its high handling volume during a single-ship call. He said the result demonstrated the operational capacity of Turkish ports on a global scale.
Port capacity to increase
Dönmez said investments at Asyaport were continuing and that the second-phase extension investment, which began in 2022, was scheduled for completion in November 2026.
Once the investment is completed, the port's berthing area is expected to reach 2,800 meters, allowing three of the world's longest container ships to dock at the port simultaneously. Dönmez noted that infrastructure on this scale exists at relatively few ports worldwide.
Asyaport aims to raise its current annual handling capacity of 2.5 million TEUs to 4 million TEUs. As part of this effort, the number of cranes serving large ships has been increased to 15.
Service exports and employment goals
Dönmez said Asyaport had been planned as a regional transshipment hub from its establishment and that they expected the investments to provide Turkey's economy with more service exports, foreign-exchange earnings and employment.
Dönmez announced that Asyaport's goal was to become the largest standalone port in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, in line with Turkey's strategic location.
