World maritime is changing, the world is changing, Turkey is changing, Turkish maritime is also changing. As shipowners, it was our turn to make this change happen. We will experience it and see.
We set out as a board of directors with a team that is young and dynamic, well-versed in its business, highly qualified, hardworking and will strive for the sector.Our goals will proceed with a beneficial, creative, innovative and visionary process.
I am sure that you will hear some concepts from us a lot during this process. As a sector, we will focus on the importance of all of us internalizing these concepts.
Our motto will be "we, not me". It will be to serve Turkey and Turkish maritime. It will always be to do the right thing. In addition, it will be to address the future by talking about the future, not the past. It will be to pursue visionary goals and projects and strive to achieve them. Together with all these, we will strengthen the unity and solidarity in our sector and create synergy in our sector within the framework of a common mind we will create. We can only achieve this by getting to know the people in the sector and each other better, by further developing and strengthening our relations. We will increase our competitiveness by combining this synergy with a strategic action plan for maritime transport.
As Turkish shipowners, we do global trade in a global industry and compete globally. we do. At this point, our demand as Turkish shipowners is to create a competitive environment on equal terms.
Turkish-owned vessels have the capacity to generate freight returns of approximately 17-20 billion USD. The state should consider this as added value. At this stage, meeting the competitive power that I have just mentioned in the international environment will be possible with the "tonnage tax system".
While all of Europe and many maritime countries of the world are implementing this system, the absence of such a system is tying our hands. In this case, our shipowners may prefer to work on the flags of other countries in order to maintain this competitive power. Once something is gone it's hard to come by! Especially it is very difficult for the ship owner to return. But if the opportunities there are given in Turkey, I think those who left can come back. For this reason, we can create our own tonnage tax system by looking at other Dutch, British, Norwegian and Greek tonnage tax systems and evaluating their pros and cons. This will pave the way not only for Turkish shipowners, but also for shipowners from other countries who have adopted and adopted this system to move their companies here. Our state will gain an incredible amount of added value with this system.
Comparing this system with TUGS can also cause significant perception errors. The mission and structure of TUGS is different, the mission-structure of the tonnage tax is different. When you compare the two, you can't get where you want to be.
Apart from these, we want to talk, come together and cooperate with not only shipowners, but also all NGOs, all organizations, universities and academicians. IMEAK Chamber of Shipping is the umbrella organization. We want to improve our relations with all these and the service sector under the umbrella of this umbrella organization.
In this way, we have a long way to go, we have a lot to do, and our time is short. We will try to realize them as soon as possible within a certain plan. In this process, we will be waiting for the support of not only our industry, but also all of our stakeholders that I mentioned or forgot to mention here.
Bismillah Vira
Cihan Ergenc
Turkish Shipowners Association
Chairman of the Board