Ro-Ro: Intermodal’s Player On The Sea

Ro-Ro transportation, which is an environmentally friendly mode of transportation since it has the flexibility to integrate into many transportation modes and emits fewer emissions, is also the primary reason for preference in regional risks and wars.

The launch of Ro-Ro transportation in Turkey, which has the largest Ro-Ro transportation networks in the world today, was also a necessity.

The war that continued in the Balkans at the beginning of the 90s caused disruptions in Turkey’s trade with Europe and brought road transport to a halt. The transportation industry found the solution in Ro-Ro transportation and took the first step of a company that would become Europe’s second-largest Ro-Ro fleet in time. This mode of transportation, which started with necessity, has become preferable for companies thanks to the advantages it provides compared to road transportation. The experience gained with the first Ro-Ro line that started from Istanbul to Europe was carried to other coasts of the country and more Ro-Ro lines were opened to neighboring countries from the Aegean, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

It is possible to reach seven European ports via Ro-Ro lines from Pendik, Yalova, Kocaeli, Izmir and Cesme from Turkey. There are Ro-Ro trips from Haydarpaşa to five ports in the Black Sea, in Russia and Ukraine, as well as the ports of Samsun, Zonguldak and Karasu. Regular Ro-ro trips are held from Mersin and Taşucu ports in the Mediterranean to Girne, Famagusta, Haifa and Tripoli. The Indian Ocean Ro-Ro line provides service between Iskenderun and Dar es Salaam. Besides, a new intermodal service was launched from Istanbul to the UK in May. With the system, which will cover Ro-Ro and rail transport, the duration of the journey will be reduced to seven days. It is reported that the new line will be built twice a week between Calais and Séte in the first place.

Ro-Ro has many advantages

The rapid development of Ro-Ro transportation in Turkey is due to the advantage of sea transportation in Trade with its neighbors, thanks to Turkey’s peninsula geographical feature, as well as the acceleration of logistics processes of Ro-Ro operations.

Improvement in ship technology has reduced costs and increased transport efficiency, as ferries can carry more vehicles. In this respect, ferries have a great share in the development of Ro-Ro transportation. In Ro-Ro transportation, locomotives and wagons can be transported, as well as trucks. In this way, it allows less handling of the cargo until it arrives at the delivery port.

The ability to make more trips in a short time is another factor that shortens operation times. The long queues at the customs Gates which are faced by the logistics industry and exporters face in road transportation offer a great advantage as they are not experienced in Ro-Ro transportation. In addition, this transportation method allows various vehicles carrying on road and rail transport to make a certain part of the journey by sea.

Transports have increased in 2022

Turkey’s post-pandemic foreign trade, mainly exports, is on a rapid increase. The growth in exports and imports continues in 2022. While imports are growing in the energy industry, Turkey’s exports are growing in industry and food products. After the country’s exports closed in the year 2021 with 225.4 billion dollars, an increase of 33 percent compared to the previous year, it exceeded 60 billion dollars in the first quarter of the year. It is considered that the export of 250 billion dollars determined for the end of 2022 will be exceeded.

Transportation data for the first half of the year confirm this. According to the maritime trade data prepared by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the total amount of cargo handled at Turkish ports increased by more than 10 percent compared to the same period of the previous year and reached 135.2 million tons in the first 3 months of 2022. In the same period, the amount of container handling at the ports increased by 7 percent to 3.2 million TEU.

The demand for Ro-Ro has increased more

In the first quarter of the year, the growth in Ro-Ro transports is higher. In 2021, the number of vehicles transported on regular Ro-Ro lines with international connections was 670 thousand 876. In the January-March 2022 period, this number amounted to 181 thousand 659. The number of vehicles transported in the same period last year was 149,870. Ro-Ro transport in the Black Sea was adversely affected, as operations in some ports stopped due to the war between Ukraine and Russia.

While over 32 thousand vehicles were transported in the first quarter of last year, the number of vehicles transported by Ro-Ro ships in the Black Sea in the same period this year decreased to 25 thousand. Another reason for this is that after the beginning of the war, exports to Russia decreased by 40 percent and to Ukraine by 80 percent.

There is demand for new Ro-Ro lines in the Black Sea

The reason for the decrease in the number of transports in the Black Sea is the risks borne by the ports where Ro-Ro ships provide regular service, rather than the decrease in demand. For this reason, the logistics industry has demanded for the opening of new Ro-Ro lines. Due to the closure of the Ukraine route in European-Russian trade, there are demands from Europe to send its cargo to Russia and Central Asia via Turkey. This causes long queues at the Georgia border gate. According to the data published daily by the International Transporters Association about the congestion at the border gates, the queue of trucks at Sarp Border Gate was 28 kilometers on April 29.

For this reason, it is stated that some Ro-Ro companies operating in the Black Sea have submitted their requests to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to open an alternative line, and it has not yet been concluded because Russia has not responded. If countries can make an agreement, new Ro-Ro lines will be added to the region in order to ensure the sustainability of the trade in the Black Sea.

Ro-Ro transportation differs from other modes with its environmentalist feature

Globelink Ünimar Strategy and Business Development Director Uygar Sül stated that: “Ro-Ro transportation is a mode of transportation that distinguishes itself with its environmentalist feature, as well as having many advantages compared to other transportation modes. It is a good option for the transport industry at a time when the whole world wants to reduce its emissions. You can pull more than 400 trucks out of traffic with just one ship. I see it as the most useful transport mode of the Intermodal transporter system, which has come to the fore in recent years. It can be included in integrated logistics with less investment in a much shorter time than the railway. In this respect, all these actions require a lot of attention and care.

As Globelink Ünimar, we fulfill the demands of our customers quickly by using the Ro-Ro transportation method. The transportation service, in which Ro-Ro transportation is used instead of only a single mode of transportation, makes things even easier. The rate of damage to cargoes during loading and unloading operations on Ro-Ro ships, where special equipment is used until the final destination, is extremely low. Thanks to its practicality and speed, it is possible to prevent the cargo from lingering in the port unnecessarily.

It is out of the question to pay various tolls in Ro-Ro transports, as is the case on the road. You will not encounter transit documents, borders and various traffic problems that are valid in various countries abroad. You don’t get stuck in long queues at border crossings.

Considering all these benefits, Ro-Ro transports are completed quickly and effectively. Due to the sailing hours of the ships, it is of great importance that all operational processes are managed by experienced experts. As Globelink Ünimar, we offer this assurance to our customers.”