Construction work at the İyidere Logistics Center, built by Turkey on the Black Sea coast, has reached 82 percent, entering its final phase. The center, designed to service large-tonnage vessels, will not only strengthen Turkey’s position in international freight transport but also open up new opportunities for the South Caucasus and the Middle Corridor.
Sea-news.az reports citing Avtosfer.az, that a 2,950-meter section of the project’s main breakwater and its final 11-meter crown concrete have been fully completed. The center will have the capacity to handle 3 million tons of general cargo and 8 million tons of bulk cargo annually. The 2,950-meter breakwater and its 11-meter crown concreting work have been finished, making the facility ready to receive high-capacity vessels. The tender contract for the center’s construction was awarded in 2020 to the Cengiz İnshaat – Yapı ve Yapı İnshaat joint venture for 1.37 billion Turkish liras (approximately 48.57 million manats).
According to transport expert Rauf Agamirzayev, the project is of strategic importance not only for Turkey’s domestic maritime shipping, but for the entire region:
“The center’s direct connection via the Rize–Erzurum route to eastern Turkey and onward to the South Caucasus sharply increases its geographical and logistical value. The İyidere Logistics Center must be viewed in synergy with the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) railway and the Middle Corridor. These routes will complement one another, diversifying transport connections between Turkey and the South Caucasus. At a time when demand for alternative corridors in international trade is growing, the creation of such a hub on the eastern coast of the Black Sea will enable more flexible organization of cargo flows transported via Azerbaijan.”
