#1- Turkey is seeking local investors to buy the operating rights for İzmir’s Alsancak port, Bloomberg reports, citing Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu. “We’ve made significant progress in talks with a few Turkish entrepreneurs who may have foreign partners for the operation of the Alsancak port in İzmir,” Uraloğlu is quoted as saying.

AD Ports is now out of the picture: The Abu Dhabi port operator was reportedly in talks since late 2023 to obtain a stake in the Turkish port in a USD 500 mn transaction — though negotiations fell through six months ago, according to the news outlet. The talks came after Turkey signed a trade agreement with the UAE back in 2023, securing then a pledge for USD 51 bn investments from the Gulf major.

REMEMBER- UAE heavyweights ? Turkish ports: DP World and Turkey’s Evyap Group entered a strategic merger and formed a joint venture, DP World Evyap, for the management of two major ports in Turkey’s Marmara region back in July 2024. Under the agreement, DP World acquired a 58% stake in Evyapport, and Evyap Group absorbed a 42% share of DP World Yarimca.

About the port: The port of İzmir — located in the country’s west on the Gulf of Izmir of the Aegean Sea — has the capacity to handle approximately 4k ships and 1.2 mn TEUs annually, Bloomberg reports, citing Turkey’s national railways authority and the port’s current operator.

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