İzmir-Qatar reefer ship service begins

The first direct refrigerated cargo container or reefer service between Qatar and Turkey has been launched by the marine, transport and logistics conglomerate Qatar Navigation Milaha. The company said in a statement that it has arranged voyages along a route between Qatar's Hamad Port and the Port of İzmir.

"Trade volume between Qatar and Turkey has significantly increased over the past few months and we are launching this service as a solution for the growing demand," Milaha President and CEO Abdulrahman Essa Al-Mannai explained.

He went on to say that the reefer service is complementary to already existing services, adding that this will further enhance the connectivity and facilitation of trade between importers and exporters in Qatar, the Arab Gulf and Turkey.

Over the past few weeks, Milaha had arranged two ad hoc voyages for reefer vessels traveling from Turkey to Qatar.

Now, the company is moving to regularize the services, with departures every 20-25 days between the Hamad Port and the Port of İzmir, with a transit period of 11 days.

The new reefer services will initially be conducted with one vessel which has a capacity of more than 5,000 tons per voyage, catering mostly to temperature-controlled cargo and break bulk shipments while offering the option of adding containers upon request, Milaha's president noted.

In June, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism.

The four states imposed a land, sea and air embargo on Qatar and presented a list of demands to Doha which, if not met, would result in further sanctions. Qatar denies the accusations, saying that the blockade is a violation of international law.