Filyos sea port

At the end of 2008 the Central Finance and Contracts Unit of the Government of Turkey signed the contract with a consortium comprising Witteveen+Bos to execute preparatory services for a port on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, east of the village of Filyos. The beneficiary is the Turkish Ministry of Transport. The idea is first of all to develop an entirely new sea port as close as possible to Ankara.

The cargo flows between Ankara and Russia will be able to follow the shortest possible route, which is via Filyos. This will contribute to a reduction of the traffic in the overcrowded Bosporus straits. Furthermore, it is expected that the port will stimulate the developments in the surroundings of Filyos. Another effect could be the emergence of a North-South transport flow across Turkey, the so-called 'land bridge' between Filyos and the port of Mersin, situated on the Mediterranean southern coast of Turkey. In view of this combination of interests the Turkish government considers the implementation of the port of great strategic importance.

Variety of activities

The assignment covers field investigations, a transport-economic study, a master plan, a financial-economic feasibility study, an environmental impact assessment, preparation of detailed designs and tender documents as well as an advice on the future institutional/operational setup and the tendering strategy. The contract value - financed by EuropeAid - amounts to about four million Euro. The activities are scheduled to be completed around mid 2010.

Consortium

With the assignment Witteveen+Bos confirms its leading position in the field of ports and waterways and offers good options for a long-term presence in Turkey. For this sizeable project Witteveen+Bos joined forces with NIRAS, its Danish partner in the strategic European network SEEN. The consortium was complemented by Dutch companies NEA and Pharos, and METU University from Ankara.