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Yilport was established in 2005 by Yildirim Group, an international family-run holding company headquartered in Istanbul. Specialising in port operation, Yilport controls four ports within Turkey as well an increasingly growing worldwide footprint. The first terminal to be constructed by the company, Gebze, was developed into a world-class facility, providing container, general cargo, and liquid services. The organisation is fully committed to the highest standards of customer service, round the clock.
The home terminal of Gebze has, throughout the years, facilitated the development of its unique expertise and one-stop-shopping total supply chain proposition. With an investment focus on technology and expansion, Yilport has grown into the industrial port leader, and its aim to become a global logistics port cluster with integrated terminals, depots and warehouses continues. Located on the Northeast coast of the Marmara Sea, Gebze is in the economic heartland of Turkey with over 50 per cent of the Turkish GDP in a 200 km radius and is well connected to the hinterland through major motorway links.
Through continual investment in people, streamlined processes, facilities, superior equipment, and advanced technologies Yilport works hard to achieve a clean and healthy environment in and around the ports, and does so with close co-operation with its partners. The company provides consistently high performance by using state-of-the-art uktechnology and by hiring experienced and reliable staff. Further, it employs customised solutions, located in convenient locations with high accessibility to its terminals.
Yilport is a wholly owned subsidiary of Yildirim, which is a multi-national, operating in many different sectors, including chrome ore mining and trading, ferrochrome production and trading, port management, coal trading, fertiliser production and trading, chemical trading, energy, shipping, shipbuilding, and private equity. Yildirim enjoys having a recognised competitive advantage in Turkey, which has successfully developed in the global marketplace over the years. The organisation aims to generate long-term, sustainable growth and create continual value. This entails much more than just improving the operational profile and cutting costs; it leverages corporate resources in harmony with the environment to create better performance and higher-value products.
With ambitious vision, a collective commitment to excellence, dynamic and honest business approach, a strong administrative-financial structure, and a vast amount of knowledge and experience gained over the past decades, the corporation has built up a strong presence in global markets. The recent expansion of the home terminal at Gebze, which includes the installation of four Mitsui STS and APS crane OCR integration set the standard for future projects within Turkish ports. Furthermore, new electrified rubber tyred gantry (RTG) cranes increased productivity, efficiency, safety and customer dedication. In 2011 the business initiated the Gemlik project, designed to handle the largest vessels that previously were unable to dock in Turkey, and at the same time acquired Gemport, a leading 600k TEU capacity container and RoRo facility adjacent to Gemlik. Yilport Gemlik is one of the most important ports of the Turkish maritime sector with its strategic location, vast hinterland, and rational investments. Since the port was founded, its contribution to the region and national economy has been steadily increasing.
The expanding portfolio continued to increase that year when the Yildirim Group acquired 50 per cent of the Malta Freeport with Yilport soon inheriting the purchase. Malta Freeport has registered remarkable growth and is now a major maritime transshipment logistic centre in the Mediterranean region. Currently ranked 12th among the top European ports, the port manages excessive container handling and industrial storage facilities. Later, in 2012 it acquired RotaPort, in Yarimca, with dedicated bulk handling equipment and multimodality capacity that leads the port industry. The port is primarily focused on cement and grain and for bulk and value-added services for general cargo.
To manage this increasing portfolio Yilport established its Holding in 2012 to oversee and manage the increasing operations across the globe and to become the first Turkish global port operator. Furthermore, in 2013 Yilport integrated the wholly owned subsidiary Eti Logistics and the organisation continues to thrive in Turkey and will so expand outside of the country. Eti Logistics provides trucking, warehousing, depot, LCL, rail (intermodal), and vessel feeder services to provide a truly integrated logistics solution to Yilport customers.
Today, the set-up has become Turkey’s most developed container terminal as a result of the major investments that have continued since the establishment of the business nearly a decade ago. Aiming to connect end customers all over the world, Yilport actively co-ordinates with and supports customers by developing tailored port and logistics services. The creation of the one-stop-shopping value proposition has been achieved by partnering with customers and maximising added value to their supply chain.
Continuing its growth, Yilport Holding acquired the Gävle container terminal in 2014, an established and efficient container port in Sweden. Leading from this, the Holding obtained the 20 plus ten-year concession for the Oslo container terminal in Norway. The terminal will become the largest container terminal in Norway with a capacity exceeding 450,000 TEU when completed with container operations expected to commence in January 2015. One of Yilport Holding’s latest projects is the Stockholm Nord intermodal terminal, also scheduled to open in 2015, marking the beginning of the company’s Northern European expansion plan. The new facility is destined to become one of Sweden’s most efficient and technologically advanced logistic hubs. Set to continue developing in this way, the business remains committed to leading the industry standard not only operationally, but also environmentally.
Going forward, Yilport Holding’s goal is to be a Top Ten global port operator by 2025. The explosive growth is fully supported by an internationally experienced executive management team and centralised, state-of-the art technologies. The company is positioned to take on projects in all parts of the globe.
According to Sean Pierce, CEO of Yilport Holding: “Yilport is an industrial, multi-purpose terminal operator with a very unique value proposition. Unlike many other terminal operators, we focus on integrating into the local economy and community and delivering solutions and economic benefits well beyond the borders of the port. This creates trade, jobs, and sustainability. We are perfectly suited to expansion in developing countries due to the fact that we have the strength of Yildirim behind us. Yildirim can provide comprehensive solutions that are needed in these developing regions which include the all aspects for ports and logistics (Yilport and Eti Logistics), energy (Yildirim Energy), metals and mining (Eti Krom), and fertilizer (Gemlik Gubre).”
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