Kumport is one of the leader terminals in the Marmara Region with its handling capacity. Kumport CEO Kaan Anul emphasized that they have achieved a reduction of approximately% 21 percent per TEU in light of their efforts to reduce carbon since 2015, and said that sustainability will continue to be the most important topic on its agenda.

When did Kumport Port start its services?
Kumport, which started to provide service in 1979, only provided general and bulk cargo services at that time, and since 1996, it has added container handling operations to its activities.
Today, as Kumport, we operate as one of the largest and most modern ports in Türkiye with our qualified human resources, modern machinery park and investments in port automation systems that support high business volume. We provide broad line operations to Turkish importers and exporters with our strong collaborations. We continue to make new investments and provide high standards of port and terminal services in order to further improve our service standards and create sustainable value for all our stakeholders.

What kind of position does Kumport have among Turkish ports? What are the services that make a difference?
We are one of the leading container terminals in the Marmara Region with our annual container handling capacity of 2,100,000 TEU. As the regional logistics base of world container transportation, we always aim to provide high standards of port services to our customers.
In parallel with the port capacity increase, we increased the maximum depth of the pier to -16.5 meters to ensure that larger ships can dock safely. We solve container loading operations as quickly as possible with our 9 high-capacity, state-of-the-art dock cranes. We provide the most up-to-date terminal equipment and strengthen our port with the latest technology.
We continue our work that will contribute to the “port 4.0” transformation of the Turkish port industry. We have made significant progress in technological transformation with accelerating steps in the last few years. Especially recently, we have incorporated the world’s leading ERP systems, SAP transformation, and accepted systems with our Navis project and we continue to do so.
One of our priorities in port services includes working for a sustainable environment. The steps we have taken on issues such as air pollution, sea pollution, waste management and energy efficiency have been taken with the aim of creating a sustainable environmental management system that ensures the correct use of resources. As a result of these efforts, we were among the first ports and 11 businesses in this field to receive the “Green Port Certificate” in 2016. We do not consider sustainability only with its environmental dimension. At the same time, by adopting the principle of providing benefit to our employees and society, we achieved the success of being the first business in the port industry to receive the “Great Place to Work” certificate. This approach not only contributes to the growth of businesses, but also helps lay the foundations for a more fair and sustainable business world.

Can we learn your growth and investment plans in the new century of the Turkish Republic?
With our belief in our country, our industry and our company; We will continue to work, grow stronger and grow in the new century in the light of the values our Republic has brought to us. Increasing social and economic demands, technology, digitalization and sustainability issues shape investments and operations. Ataturk’s statement, “We should consider maritime as the great national ideal of the Turks and achieve it in a short time” reveals what an important role we all have to play as a country and as a sector. As all players in the industry, we have to embrace this and work hard to provide service with high standards.

In your opinion, what path has the Republic, founded by Atatürk, drawn in transportation and logistics from past to present? What will be the main agendas of the sector in the new century?
We have many important firsts in this field, such as Atatürk, in the first years of the Republic, taking the merchant ship named Black Sea around all Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean ports as the world’s first mobile exhibition to explain our country’s economy to foreign states. There have been great developments since then. The successes achieved with the understanding of safe, fast and quality service gradually strengthen this position. Considering that over 80 % of world trade is carried out by sea, our sector is of critical importance for globalization and international trade.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the global regulator of shipping, has broken new ground by setting a target of reducing carbon emissions from international shipping by at least 50% compared to 2008 levels by 2050 and reducing carbon intensity by 40 % by 2030.
We fight against all types of pollution without discrimination to become an environmentally friendly port. We make carbon footprint calculations in our port every year and have them verified by authorized institutions. Since 2015, when we first started working on carbon reduction, we have achieved a reduction of approximately 21 % per TEU. We identified emission sources in our port. We have electrified most of the work machines that cause emissions. In 2020, we established the ISO 14046 Water Footprint Management System. In this regard, we measure our water footprint and verify our document. By publishing our sustainability report, we transparently present our work to all our stakeholders. Our work in line with our sustainability goals will continue to be on our agenda in the coming period.