october 2011 no : 11 / 342

Arkas Line offers a new service from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Black Sea

In October, Arkas Line will start the EBX (Eastmed Blacksea Express), which will follow the following route: Mersin-Istanbul (Marport)-Ukraine (Odessa)-Romania (Constanta)-Georgia (Poti)-Samsun-Istanbul (Marport)-Mersin.

Arkas Line, which operates container liner services has started a new line from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Black Sea not only to meet the increasing export needs of Mersin and the surrounding area, but also to take advantage of increased commerce in the Black Sea and the potential of Samsun Port. Two vessels will provide regular weekly service on this new line. The port of Poti has significant geographical importance as the only entry to the Caucasus from the Black Sea. Products such as grain, foodstuffs, cigarettes, construction materials, machinery, spare parts, used cars and furniture sent to Georgia and the Caucasus region are unloaded at the port of Poti and then shipped via rail and highway as far as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other locations in Central Asia.

Conversely, iron ore, aluminum, copper, fertilizer, wine, mineral water and hazelnuts are exported from the Caucasus to other countries via Poti. Citrus produce and fruit are the primary exports from Mersin and the Eastern Mediterranean. Goods are loaded in the port of Mersin and transported to Odessa, Constance and Poti. With this scheduled direct service, Arkas line is able to offer an important service to exporters and importers in the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea regions.

Arkas Shipping transports Turkey’s award-winning yacht, the

Azuree

Arkas Shipping provided logistics services for the Azuree, the pride of Turkey in the world of yachting, in preparation for the Genoa Boat Show that will be held in Italy.

Voted one of the best five yachts in the world by European Yacht of the Year 2010, the Azuree 40 was safely transported by Arkas to the Genoa Boat Show, one of the most prestigious marine expositions in the world. Thanks to the experience and professionalism of its staff in the field of transportation, Arkas Shipping successfully delivered the yacht, which will be exhibited at the 51st Genoa Boat Show on October 1-9.

These yachts are built with high tech production methods in the world-class Sirena Marine factory, which has 30,000 square meters of indoor space over 10 hectares of land in Orhangazi, Bursa. The yachts have unusual dimensions thanks to an innovative hull design that continues without narrowing in the aft section, giving it the widest hull and largest cockpit in its class.

Loading procedures for this special yacht were handled by Arkas Shipping's Bursa office at Rodaport in Gemlik, Bursa, after which the boat was transported to the port of Genoa.

Arkas Shipping's Bursa office provides on-site service for customers who manufacture goods in Bursa. This enables the company to provide rapid and safe transportation service while minimizing costs.

Arser sells vehicles to the General Motors factory in Tashkent

Arser provided training support with its after sales services team for the vehicles it sold for use in the new engine factory established by General Motors in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.

Arser, an Arkas Holding company that operates in the industrial machinery sector, is selling a large number of units both domestically and internationally thanks to its high quality sales and after sales services. In September, Arser delivered 31 units of STILL brand electric forklifts, warehouse equipment and electric tractors to a General Motors factory in Uzbekistan.

After delivery, Arser’s after sales services team went to Uzbekistan to provide training about using the machinery and the ARMTS (Arser Repair and Maintenance Tracking System) program. With this program, each customer can connect to the system with their own user ID and password to report any repair or maintenance they need. The report is sent by e-mail to an Arser representative who will immediately follow up on the issue to deal with it. This program will make it possible to provide better service to Uzbekistan. This system makes it possible to track a vehicle’s maintenance history based on its serial number. This will not only result in rapid service for customers, but will also archive all procedures carried out on the equipment.

ARMTS software, a first in the sector, was written by Arser and provides rapid service to customers in Turkey as well as in other countries.

Arfor transports industrial machinery and commercial vehicles to Iraq

Arfor, Arkas Holding’s forwarding company, is transporting commercial vehicles and industrial machinery for the company Loadstar from Turkey to Erbil.

Arfor provides partial and project transportation as well as sea, air, land, rail and combined shipments. In September, Arfor began loading Komatsu, Mitsubishi and DAF brand vehicles in Izmir and Mersin and transporting them to Erbil as part of the project transportation service it initiated for a company called Loadstar. The vehicles are loaded onto semi-trailer trucks in batches and delivered in approximately eight days. By the end of the year as part of this project, Arfor will transport via road 150 units of industrial machinery and commercial vehicles that have already been sold. It is expected that business volumes will increase for dealers in Iraq, who are starting to build up their inventories as they invest in on-site facilities. This investment is their solution to the lack of storage area in Iraq during the country’s reconstruction. Arfor is providing service for customers who export to Iraq because it is projecting an increased need for logistics services. Arfor complements its high quality, affordable transportation with services that include planning, implementation and reporting for the whole supply chain from the point where raw materials are produced to the delivery of finished goods to the final user, taking into account the customer’s needs at every point in the process.

Poti: Gateway to the Caucasus

Statue of Niko Nikoladza Founder of Poti

Poti, the largest and most important port in Georgia, has taken on the role of a bridge between Europe and Central Asia via the Black Sea because of the improvements it has achieved in the past ten years. This has made Poti the hero of the Georgian economy.

Positioned where the Rioni River empties into the Black Sea, Poti’s strategic location has made it an important port city since ancient times for both economic and military reasons.

Arkas Vessel at Poti Port

Located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the Samagrelo-Zemo Svateni region of Georgia where the Rioni River meets the sea, Poti is an important port city with a population of 51,000. The city was known in times past by its

Turkish name “Faş”, which came from the Greek colony Phasis that was established here in ancient times. After existing as a colony over the centuries under the administration of the Romans, Byzantines and Genoese, the city came under Turkish administration in 1578. Poti was ruled by the Turks for 250 years, except for two instances when it was ruled by the Georgian Kingdom. In 1828, it became part of Russia under the czar. When

the industrial revolution came to the Russian Empire, this region began to develop because of its strategic and economic importance. The first railroad was built in Poti in 1872. Poti developed as a commercial port from 1863 to 1905. The city was very important as the main exit point for exports of Georgian manganese and coal.

From the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 until 1921, Poti experienced a period of independence, serving as the gateway to its country during that time. Georgia became part of Soviet Russia when it was invaded by the Red Army in 1921, but Poti still maintained its importance as a commercial and military port. When Georgia regained its independence at the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Poti continued to be the Black Sea base for the Georgian navy as well as the gateway to the world for the Caucasus region, which was yearning to become more developed. When it comes to port cities in Georgia, most people think first of the natural port of Batum, but Poti is actually a much more important port commercially because its geographical features are more suitable to expansion and because of the rail connection to the capital, Tbilisi. It is for this reason that the port of Poti is considered to be a gateway connecting Europe to the Caucasus and Central Asia. A commercial route thousands of years old

Georgia’s geopolitical location has made it a commercial route since ancient times. Located on a portion of the historical Silk Road, Georgia is also the shortest and most practical route between Europe and the Far East. The port of Poti plays a key role in this route. The factors that make Poti an economic dynamo are not just limited to its busy port. It also gained the first free trade zone in the Caucasus when the Free Industrial Zone (FIZ) was established on October 16, 2010. This zone is administered by the Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA), based in the United Arab Emirates. In the zone, entrepreneurs are able to devote all of their time to building and expanding their business exempt from limitations such as taxes, quotas, regulations and bureaucracy. Established on 300 hectares of land with an investment of 400 million dollars, FIZ is equipped with the latest technology and top quality infrastructure, storage and office space. The fact that it is located right next to the port of Poti makes FIZ even more advantageous thanks to the low cost of logistics. The location also makes it very suitable for effectively accessing the expanding markets of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia and Kazakhstan from a single location. The port of Poti

After growing significantly in the past ten years, the port is now the primary international commercial gateway to Europe for Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Georgian government has stated that one of its primary economic goals is to make Poti a major port on the commercial route between Europe and Central Asia by promoting a high quality, busy port and the neighboring free trade zone.

Liquid and dry bulk cargo and containers are loaded and unloaded in Poti, the largest port in Georgia. In addition, ferries transport vehicles and passengers to various ports around the Black Sea. The port has 15 docking locations with almost three kilometers of total pier length. Over twenty container cranes are available to docked vessels. The port’s commercial volume was approximately 7.3 million tons in 2010. The port has been able to increase its business volume each year except for the sudden drop in 2009 after the conflict between Georgia and Russia. Based on figures from 2010, the total business volume consists of 19 percent exports, 39 percent imports and 42 percent transit cargo.

In 2008, the investment agency RAKIA purchased the port of Poti to expand the harbor and establish a free trade zone. In 2011, 80 percent of the port's shares were bought by APM Terminals, a company known for its investments in developing markets. RAKIA has reported significant accomplishments at Poti in the past three years, and it will continue to have a say in the operations of Poti's port, which is now a joint venture with APM Terminals. APM Terminals plans to invest 100 million dollars over the next five years as part of its plan to bring the port of Poti up to the same performance level as the other major port operations that it oversees. These investments will increase the port's capacity and potential even more, so it seems certain that the opportunities for business will increase as will the value of the port itself. Arkas Georgia

The office that has, since 2002, provided forwarder and bulk cargo vessel agency services as the Arkas representative in Georgia was reestablished under the name Arkas Georgia after Arkas Line, which is Arkas' own shipping company, launched a service to the port of Poti in June of 2010. Arkas Georgia opened its second office in Tbilisi in 2011.

Arkas Poti Office employees

Sources:

• http://www.potiseaport.com http://transportjournal.ch • http://www.indexmundi.com • http://www.economywatch.com • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poti • http://permanent.access.gpo.gov • http://www.rakiageorgia-freezone.com • http://georgiaconsult.com

Arkas Trio plays for audiences in Istanbul and Izmir

Gustav Rivinius , Tuncay Yılmaz, Lucien Arkas, Emre Elivar

A musical career has begun for Arkas Trio, which consists of three soloists and was established as an Arkas social responsibility project.

Arkas Trio was established when three prominent soloists joined together as an example of Arkas Holding’s commitment to art because of its dedication to social responsibility. The musical group began its musical career with concerts at St. Antoine in Istanbul on September 30th and the Adnan Saygun Art Center in Izmir on October 1st. The first trio to be established in Turkey with corporate sponsorship, Arkas Trio is made up of three prominent soloists who have proven themselves internationally. The musical group was started to give permanence to the value it places on classical western music and art with a long-term and universal project. Arkas Trio consists of the German cello soloist Gustav Rivinius, who became known around the world after winning the gold medal in the 1990 Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition, as well as violin soloist Tuncay Yılmaz and solo pianist Emre Elivar, both of whom are considered the best of the new generation and are rare examples of national talent nurtured in Turkey and then going global. The group was formed when Tuncay Yılmaz and Emre Elivar joined up with Gustav Rivinius, who is pursuing a musical career in Germany. The three have been friends for many years and have achieved many accomplishments together. They practiced for these concerts in Saarbrücken, Germany. At their first concert, Arkas Trio performed a selection of pieces by well-known composers such as Joseph Haydn, Felix Mendelssohn and Johannes Brahms. The Arkas Trio will perform Beethoven's Triple Concerto together with the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra at the Cadde Bostan Culture Center on Friday, December 2nd and at the historical Süreyya Opera House on Monday night, December 5th.

Second hand cars with the “Arkas Automotive2” guarantee

Arkas Automotive, Turkey’s first and largest multi-brand automotive dealer organization, offers sales of second hand automobiles and light commercial vehicles at corporate standards and with Arkas quality.

Arkas Automotive2 offers corporate service in the Turkish second hand automobile sales market, with the goal of achieving distinction in the market by giving the necessary importance to after-sales service. Arkas Automotive2 has vehicle sales lots in Halkapınar and Karşıyaka in Izmir and in Çengelköy in Istanbul, in addition to marketing all second hand brands and models over its website.

Arkas Automotive2’s experts evaluate vehicles that it purchases for resale according to many criteria, with the goal of increasing customer satisfaction by procuring vehicles for its customers that are better, safer and in better condition. Arkas Automotive2 also purchases light commercial vehicles, meeting all of its customers’ needs by enabling them to trade the vehicles back in regardless of how many kilometers are on the vehicle as long as it has been examined by an expert. Arkas Automotive2 buys and sells all makes of cars in both categories that meet its standards.

Arkas Automotive2 provides high quality service to its customers thanks to its stringent checks, the variety of makes in its inventory and Arkas Automotive’s strong organizational structure.

www.arkasotomotiv2.com

Conqueror of the Pacific: James Cook

An Exact Representation of The Death of Captn. James Cook, F.R.S at Karakakooa Bay, in Owhyhee, on Feby. 14, 1779.” From George William Anderson's A New, Authentic, and Complete Collection of Voyages Round the

World, Undertaken and Performed by Royal Authority . . . Captain Cook's First, Second, Third, and Last Voyages . . . (London, 1784). [Rare Books Division]

A man who applied his love of exploring to serve science and humanity, James Cook was a true explorer who uncovered and mapped unknown treasures of the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to Australia and from Alaska to New Zealand.

James Cook was born on November 7, 1728 in the village of Marton, which is today a suburb of the city of Middlesbrough in the county of Yorkshire, England. The series of events that made him one of the most important seamen in the world began when he became acquainted with the nearby fishing town of Staithes at age 16. Here Cook became an apprentice at a haberdasher and it is here that the first seeds of his passionate relationship with the sea were sown. Only able to hold that job for 18 months, Cook then moved to the neighboring port city of Whitby, where he began working as an apprentice on ships that transported coal along the eastern coast of England. During that time, he taught himself algebra, geometry, trigonometry, navigation and astronomy. After his apprenticeship, Cook began working on commercial ships plying the Baltic Sea and became the captain of the ship Friendship in 1755. Then he surprised all of his friends and family by deciding to volunteer for the Royal Navy.It was difficult for them to understand why someone who had reached the rank of captain would decide to start all over again at the bottom. However, it turned out to be a key link in the chain of events in his life, because Cook was confident that he would be able to quickly advance in a navy career.

A true mapping expert During his years in the navy, he took part in many sea battles in North America and proved his superior ability in the area of mapping. This skill played a large role in drawing a map of Canada’s Newfoundland island. From 1763-67, Cook visited the island five times to explore its shorelines. His ability to produce very effective and practical maps under difficult conditions attracted the attention of the admiralty and the Royal Society.This was also the first in a series of events that took James Cook to the Pacific Ocean, which is nearly synonymous with his name. In 1766, Cook was sent to the Pacific Ocean to observe the transit of the planet Venus over the sun. Cook went around South America into the Pacific Ocean, reaching Tahiti in 1769, where he carried out the observation of Venus. Afterward, Cook opened sealed orders which contained information about the second part of his voyage. The order he received was to discover the continent of Terra Australis, reputed for its natural wonders and said to be located in the South Pacific.

Along the way, Cook circumnavigated and mapped the islands of New Zealand, reaching Australia in 1770. This was the first time for Europeans to see the eastern coast of this large continent.

In 1772, Cook was commissioned a second time by the Royal Society to explore the continent of Terra Australis. This second voyage brought Cook very close to becoming the first person to come in contact with Antarctica, but did not result in any definite progress in the discovery of the Southern Continent. Returning to England empty handed, Cook's reports put an end to the legend of Terra Australis.

From Hawaii to Alaska

Promoted to the rank of captain upon his return, he was retired from the Royal Navy and was given a position as an officer in Greenwich Hospital. Cook accepted this only with the condition that he be permitted to leave this post if an opportunity for active duty came along.

Portrait of James Cook, Jefferys, Charles William

(1869 - 1951), National Archives of Canada

In the end, of course, such an opportunity did arise. The ostensible purpose of the voyage was for Cook to take Omai, his guide on previous voyages, back to his homeland of Tahiti, but there was also another mission: The discovery of the famed Northwest Passage connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Cook took Omai to Tahiti and then turned north. In 1778 he became the first European to arrive at the Hawaiian Islands. He named them the Sandwich Islands in honor of the Earl of Sandwich, the First Lord of the Admiralty. Cook then continued on northward. During this journey, he mapped a large portion of the northwest shores of North America for the first time. Upon clarifying the area covered by Alaska, Cook was able to complete the gap between Russian land in the west and Spanish territory in Central America. After reaching the Bering Strait, which separates the continents of America and Asia, Cook was unable to make this difficult passage in spite of multiple attempts and was forced to return. On his way back, Cook stopped in Hawaii in 1779, when he was stabbed to death during a conflict that arose between his men and the islanders. Upon his death, James Cook went down in history as a man who visited all the archipelagoes in the South Pacific and also crossed both the Arctic and Antarctic Circles.

An explorer's heritage

During the 12 years in which Cook plied the Pacific Ocean, the Europeans' store of knowledge about the region vastly expanded. Visits were made by Europeans for the first time to many islands including Hawaii. Cook's fame spread all over the world. In 1779 when the colonies in North America were fighting with England, Benjamin Franklin sent a message to the captains of the American warships. In that message, he told them that if they met with Cook's vessel, they were not to treat him as an enemy, to not touch anything the ship carried, to not detain him from returning to England but in contrary to treat James Cook and his men with respect and consider him to be a friend of humanity. Franklin did not know it at the time, but his message did not reach the captains until one month after Cook was killed in Hawaii. This was because it took a full year for the news about James Cook's death to reach England. About 100 years later, discussions about the intentions of historical seamen and explorers revealed that Cook's scientific approach was notably different from the attitudes of those who were in search of money and fame. A seaman whose name surpassed international boundaries

James Cook's name lives on today in many ways. There are many locations around the world named after James Cook. These include the Cook Islands, Cooktown and James Cook University in Australia, Cook Strait between New Zealand's north and south islands, Mount Cook, the highest peak in New Zealand, and Cook Inlet in Alaska, to name just a few. Cook's heritage has even accompanied humans into space. Cook's vessel, the HMS Endeavour was the inspiration for the callsign of the command module of the Apollo 15 spacecraft as well as the space shuttle named Endeavour. Another space shuttle, the Discovery, was named after the HMS Discovery, another of Cook's vessels. Finally, one of the craters on the moon was named Cook Crater out of respect to this great discoverer.

Sources:

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history • http://geography.about.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook • http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au

Arkas provides support for a UNICEF project

Arkas Holding provided support for an open air exhibition called ‘Stars of Istanbul’, an event organized by UNICEF with the goal of opening the door to education for thousands of children who have not been able

to complete primary school.

Marport, an Arkas Holding company, paid for a star as part of the project, thereby helping to generate funds needed to provide accelerated education for all children aged 9-14 in Turkey who did not complete their

schooling. In this way, art will serve to bring these children up to the same level as their peers. As part of the efforts to commemorate UNICEF’s 60th year of service in Turkey, the UNICEF Turkey National Committee gained

support from the Municipality of Greater to organize the Stars of Istanbul, a large open air exhibition that also fosters social responsibility.

After a promotional night held on September 8th at the Lütfi Kırdar Conference and Exhibition Hall, the stars

spread out onto the streets of Istanbul. Heralded with the slogan “Stars on the Streets”, 120 three dimensional

stars designed by 110 artists and designers for 75 brand names will be exhibited in various locations in Istanbul

until the end of November.

Arkas’ star comes to Bebek

The Arkas star, designed especially for Arkas Holding, is being exhibited in Bebek. The star’s design was inspired

by container vessels, which represent Arkas’ primary area of operation. After the exhibition, the stars will be sold

at an international auction benefiting UNICEF Turkey and the proceeds will be used to create a fund to educate

children. The goal of the project is to educate 100 children with each star.

In brief...

The 14,000 TEU MSC Bari comes to Marport

At 366 meters in length and a capacity of 14,036 TEU, the MSC Bari is the largest container vessel to come to Turkey. This ship docked at the Marport West Terminal on August 24th. The MSC Bari has begun to operate on the “Tiger” service, which has the following route: Singapore-Beirut-Pire-Istanbul-Jeddah-Jebel Ali-Singapore-Quingdao-Pusan-Shanghai-Ningbo-Hong Kong-Singapore. The vessel will continue to call at Marport in

Ambarlı, which has the largest volume of any container port in Turkey. When the work under way to extend the pier at the Marport West Terminal is complete, Marport will be able to provide better service to customers who use the port.