Turkish firm receives order for 30 electric ships in last six months

Just like in automobiles, hybrid and electric engines have also started to be used in shipbuilding, which stands out as one of the most important instruments of global trade.

With over 30 ship orders in the last six months alone, Turkey has become a new technology hub in shipbuilding where hybrid and electric engines are now used to a great extent.

In this technology which is still new in the world, electric engines are being manufactured with local means in the country.

A Turkish venture, Elkon, has come to the fore as a pioneer in this field. Chairman Mehmet Buldurgan said they build electric vessels, ferries and fishing boats in Turkish shipyards.

"We ship the vessels we build to the whole world, especially to Norway," Buldurgan said, adding that more than 30 electric ships were ordered in the last six months alone.

"In recent years, with the knowledge and know-how of our Turkish engineers, we have developed very successful applications in the integration of hybrid and full electric power systems as an alternative to conventional diesel ship engines," he noted.

Pointing out that electric vessels built in Turkey are used in many countries, especially in Norway, Buldurgan said they aim to turn the ships in Turkey, especially the Golden Horn, Bosporus and Çanakkale Strait (Dardanelles), into electric vessels and to protect the environment in this regard.

Elkon CEO Ertuğ Yaşar, on the other hand, stated that there are 15 companies that make electric vessels in the world, including world giants such as Siemens and Rolls Royce.

"There are efforts to reduce emissions in European countries. Therefore, we attract a lot of interest from this region. Many financial institutions, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), require electric vessels in new projects. We have been installing the electrical systems on ships for years," Yaşar continued. "We have improved ourselves in this field. We are involved in the process of shipbuilding starting from the design stage. We started to produce both hybrid and 100 percent electric vessels.

Now 100 percent electric ships are built in our shipyards. The most prominent of these are the electric ferries that will operate in the Norwegian fjords."