Owner of Emre Aytaş Logistics, Coşkun Aytaş; "We are Offended with the Condition That Only Turkey to Use Roro"

 “REDUCTION OF COSTS WILL MAKE THE CASPIAN CORRIDOR MORE INTENSIVE”

Mentioning that they generally work for Turkic Republics such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, Aytaş states that they have 100 vehicles in their fleet and says that; "We are sending 10 vehicles to Europe. The rest of our vehicles work mainly in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Our vehicle fleet consists of tarpaulin vehicles. We carry out dry transportation such as textile, clothing, plastic raw materials.”

"The Documents Issued are Subject to the Condition of Using the Caspian Sea"

Expressing that they have a shortage of documents in their transportation to the Central Asian region, Aytaş states that the documents are given conditionally. Aytaş said that; "Kazakhstan gives documents, but the documents given are subject to the condition of using the Caspian Sea. When we use the Caspian route, we have a cost of 2 thousand, 2 thousand 500 dollars. Azerbaijani authorities said that as per the agreement signed with the Ministry of Transport during the year, scale penalties and delays after 15 days will be lifted, and Turkish vehicles will be equal to other vehicles. But Azerbaijan did not fulfill this promise. We conveyed this to the Azerbaijani authorities at the meetings held by UND. If a cargo has ADR, they may have the right to receive it, but Azerbaijan includes even plastic raw materials within the scope of flammable material. There is a combustible material system in Azerbaijan that is not implemented anywhere else in the world.”

“There Is A Huge Market In Uzbekistan”

Expressing that the export cargoes to Uzbekistan are requested to be transported by Kazakh vehicles, Aytaş said that; “There is a huge market in Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan's market is also big, but the vehicle potential of Kazakhstan and coming to Turkey is low. We don't understand why he implemented this practice. Because the documents with normal routes, which Kazakhstan did not give us, are useful for Uzbekistan vehicles. They don't have a plus here, but they create the impression that they have a plus.”

“Turkmenistan Wants No Foreign Entry into the Country”

Saying that the Turkmenistan authorities have stated that they will allow the transit of vehicles with the PCR test and that they will offer a solution on the condition of accommodation on certain routes, Aytaş states that there has been no development so far. Aytaş said that; “Turkmenistan wants no foreign entry into the country. At the moment, their own transporter is earning serious income. When there is a shortage of documents, and Kazakhstan does not give us documents in the sixth month, we are forced to use the Caspian. We cannot explain this situation to the customer. The client asks for an explanation of how the prices went up to seven thousand dollars while working for five thousand dollars. We explain, but then he says, 'Don't come, let the vehicle with foreign license plate come.' We have no chance to stop so many vehicles working towards Central Asia. Vehicles operating in Central Asia are not like vehicles operating in Europe, if we direct these vehicles to Europe, we will be subjected to serious penalties. For this reason, we are loading freight to Iran and Iraq because we do not have any documents. We transport the non-perishable products of our customers via Iran and Turkmenistan. We transfer products to Turkmen trailers in Turkmenistan. Turkmen vehicles take the products to the border of Uzbekistan and the Uzbek tow truck picks them up from the border and delivers them to Tashkent. We had serious problems with them. Our vehicles take the goods properly until the border of Iran, Turkmenistan. It is not covered by insurance unless you go from the Iranian border to Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan also carries the goods without care. Freight has been interrupted by our customers. The invoice for this is issued to the Turkish transporter.”

“Reduction of Costs Will Make Caspian Corridor More Intensive”

Aytaş states that Azerbaijan's shipping agency works in the Caspian Sea and that a company from Turkey is not allowed to use its own Roro here. Regarding Roro shipments in the Caspian Sea, Aytaş said that; “The Caspian Sea is considered to be the lake of Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, and the flagged ships of these countries carry out transportation. Russia and Iran do not allow other flagged ships. Because of these conditions, Azerbaijan holds the transports there. As UND, we also held a meeting with the Azerbaijan Roro company. If the cost of the ship, which is 1,900, is reduced to a thousand dollars, no vehicle will use Iran or Russia. We shorten the distance there and save fuel. Therefore, decreasing this cost to a thousand dollars will make the Caspian Corridor more intense. We told this to the Azerbaijani authorities. As UND, we said, 'You transfer this business to us, increase the capacity, we will give you a commitment', but they did not accept it. If we strengthen that corridor, the ship will go, it will not return empty. Unless there is a requirement in the documents of Russia and Kazakhstan, a ship went to Kazakhstan with 50 vehicles, sometimes it comes empty on the way back. We have made this commitment. If the ship runs non-stop in the Caspian crossing, we will gain about 3 days on the route of Georgia, Russia, Kazakhstan.”

“We Are Offended With The Condition That Only Turkey To Use Roro”

Expressing that their expectation from the state is to keep the Turkish transporter equal with other countries, Aytaş said that; "Let Kazakhstan be told, 'If you want Roro, both Kazakh and Uzbek vehicles should use Roro'. If the purpose of these ports is to work, everyone should use it. It is difficult for us to stipulate that only Turkey is required to use Roro among these countries. The only thing the government can do for us is to put us on equal terms. UND is having serious discussions on this issue. We are not saying that we should work and they should not work. We just want to be equal.”

 “It Seems Difficult For Our Transporters To Adapt To This Route”

Speaking about the Pakistan, Iran and Turkey route, Aytaş mentioned that Turkish vehicles are having trouble in Pakistan and said that; “Pakistan means nothing to us. Turkish vehicles experienced difficulties in Pakistan, it is a troubled country both in terms of security and the state of the highways. In Turkey, you go from the right, in Pakistan you go from the left. It seems difficult for our transporters to adapt to this path.”

“With The Pandemic, It Was Understood That Logistics Is A Link In The Supply Chain”

Stating that the transportation sector and drivers had a difficult time during the pandemic period, Aytaş said that although there was no shortage of documents, the year 2020 was unproductive. Aytaş said that; “In 2021, most people survived this disease. We realized that precautions had to be taken, and everyone took precautions and got their work back to their old rhythm. In the past, the logistician had no value, but with the pandemic, it has been understood that logistics is a link in the supply chain. When the perspective towards the transporter and the driver changed, people's desire to work increased a little more.”

“There Is A Rise In The Automotive Sector”

Stating that they think 2022 will be more efficient in terms of profitability, Aytaş also mentions that there will be vehicle investments in this direction. Aytaş finally said that; “There is a rise in the automotive sector. Although we, as transporters, say that the costs are high, as the productivity increases, the value of the goods in your hand is a plus for the transporter, and the profit rises. This satisfies people, as we work with foreign currency indexes.”