Connects Eastern and Western Maritime Industries

SMM Istanbul Conference and Exhibition Connects Eastern and Western Maritime Industries

From 24 to 25 February 2016, SMM Istanbul, the international maritime conference and exhibition Istanbul, will take place in the Bosporus metropolis for the fourth time. This international conference with an accompanying trade fair is widely considered as an important meeting place for the Turkish maritime industry. As a well-established foreign subsidiary of SMM, the leading international maritime trade fair, this event provides a perfect pathway for the international shipbuilding supply industry to enter into the prospering markets of the East.

It is an ambitious goal: The Turkish maritime industry endeavours to become Europe's leading ship exporter within the next ten years. The country wants to achieve this mainly by offering a broad portfolio of capabilities, including offshore ships, government and naval vessels and mega yachts as well as ship repair and recycling.

The Turkish government's energy and economic policy, which places great emphasis on supporting and expanding renewable energy, has been a catalyst for these objectives, driving the production of specialised ships such as heavy-lift vessels and Platform Supply Vessels (PSV). Shipbuilding projects for the Turkish navy and coast guard are an additional driving force behind the country's maritime industry. Until recently the Turkish navy used to order its ships abroad. Today they are built by domestic shipyards, and some have even been exported.

According to the IHS “World Shipbuilding Statistics”, the combined order book of Turkish shipyards comprised 147 ships totalling 346,000 GT at the end of June 2015. This means that based on the number of ships on order, Turkey now takes seventh place in the global shipbuilding market. "By 2023 we want to export ships worth $10 billion," says Murat Kiran, President of the Association of the Turkish Shipbuilding Industry, GISBIR (Türkiye Gemi Sanayicileri Birgli).