The Company is the operator of Mersin International Port (Mersin Port), a multi-purpose port that the largest port in terms of total throughput and import and export container throughput in Turkey. Mersin Port is located in southern Turkey, at the northeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea. Due to its location and connectivity, Mersin Port is one of the principal import and export gateways to the industrialized cities of central and south eastern Turkey, which form Mersin Port's hinterland, and, to a lesser extent, plays a role in the international trade between neighboring countries in the Middle East. Mersin Port is also at the intersection of major maritime trade routes and well positioned as a potential hub for transshipment traffic in the east Mediterranean region.
The services the Company provides as an operator of a multi-purpose port include loading, unloading, terminal handling and storage services for both container and conventional cargo. Together with its subsidiary, Mersin Denizcilik Faaliyetleri ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi (MarineCo), the Company also provides marine services, such as pilotage and towage. The Company also provides a number of other value-added port services, such as handling containers and cargo via rail, stuffing and unstuffing goods to and from containers, and ancillary services such as supplying fresh water, and sludge and garbage disposal. In addition to the services provided by the Company, Mersin Port's customers benefit from a well-established port eco-system that offers numerous third-party logistics services and facilities, such as licensed warehouses, cold storage facilities, laboratories and other inspection facilities for customs clearance, as well as a strategic location adjacent to the Mersin free trade zone.
Mersin Port occupies an area of approximately 112 hectares, the largest area currently occupied by a Turkish port. It has 21 berths, including 9 container berths and 12 multi-purpose berths. It benefits from an extensive local cargo base from its hinterland which attracts over 20 shipping lines and 11 ro-ro lines that provide regular services linking Mersin Port to approximately 100 ports around the world. As of 2017, Mersin Port had an annual container and conventional cargo capacity of 2,6 million TEUs and 10 million tons, respectively. The Company was formed for the sole purpose of operating and developing Mersin Port and acquired these rights in May 2007 under the Concession Agreement which has a term of 36 years through 2043.
