Roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) transport between the Alsancak Port and Italy, which has been suspended since last August, will resume again soon.
İzmir Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mahmut Özgener stated that the Transportation Coordination Center's (UKOME) decision on the issue has been revised and that they will initiate efforts with the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry next week, according to Turkish daily Dünya.
Speaking at the İzmir Chamber of Commerce's regular assembly meeting in August, Özgener recalled that UKOME made a decision that paved the way for the cancellation of Ro-Ro services last year on the grounds of traffic intensity in the city center.
Underlining that trucks use urban traffic routes during the day hours on the weekend for Ro-Ro services, Özgener said that the number of these trucks is far less than container trucks. He continued: "As the chamber, we have appealed to İzmir Governorship and İzmir Metropolitan Municipality to re-launch Ro-Ro flights from İzmir Alsancak Port. As a result of our efforts, the decision was revised at the UKOME meeting on Aug. 8, 2019."
Indicating that the new decision has enabled the entry of trucks for Ro-Ro services into city traffic in non-busy hours, Özgener stated: "Now, with this revised UKOME decision, we will launch our initiatives with the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry next week. We aim to provide İzmir-Italy Ro-Ro transportation services on both ports of Çeşme and Alsancak."
Ro-Ro connections between Turkey and Europe via Trieste started in 1987 and have been running smoothly and successfully since then. Currently this line serves the whole territory of Turkey with sailings to Istanbul, at the Ports of Pendik on its Asian side, and Ambarlı on the European side and Mersin on the southern coast.
