Earthquake in Türkiye - Impacts on Operations and Services

10 March 2023 - Update 3

• Update on Syria operations
• Ongoing disruption to Türkiye operations and services

MSC continues to work with its colleagues to monitor and assess the developing situation following the earthquake of 6 February and additional tremors of 20 February affecting Türkiye and Syria.

SYRIA
Both Latakia and Tartus terminals are open and continue to function normally. 

TÜRKIYE

At this time exports and imports from the key cities affected – Kahramanmaras, Iskenderun, Hatay and Malatya – have begun to resume.

Port of Iskenderun – Assan Port
Regular service calls have resumed at the Port of Iskenderun as from the start of March and reservations are currently being taken for both import and export containers on all services.

Port of Mersin 
Port and dock congestion persists at the Port of Mersin. As a result, gate entries of export cargoes continue to be arranged according to the order of vessel operations. Only containers carrying export cargoes belonging to vessels specified by the port authorities are currently allowed to enter gates.

Inland infrastructure in the area has improved. Roads to and from Kayseri and Konya are now open and free of previous congestion. 
Railways to Kayseri and Konya have also reopened, with rail connections to and from Mersin – Gaziantep progressing in a controlled manner and still under tonnage restrictions as advised earlier.

MSC remains committed to finding solutions for its customers’ supply chains and to keeping them moving as efficiently as possible during these challenging times.

Should you have any questions, please contact your local MSC representatives, in our global network of more than 675 offices.

27 February 2023 - Update 2

• Update on Syria operations
• Ongoing disruption to Türkiye operations and services

MSC continues to work with its colleagues to monitor and assess the developing situation following the earthquake of 6 February and additional tremors of 20 February affecting Türkiye and Syria.

SYRIA
Both Latakia and Tartus terminals are open and functioning normally.

TÜRKIYE
We have engaged with many of our customers to exchange information about cities and factories within the most affected areas. At this time exports and imports from the cities of Kahramanmaras, Iskenderun, Hatay and Malatya have stopped. From the city of Iskenderun we expect a small amount of export movements for large factories, but this will be limited to low volumes. These exports will be primarily comprised of existing stock – very few companies have resumed partial production.

Port of Iskenderun
Partial import and export movements are beginning from Gaziantep and Adana and we expect to see exports increasing slowly in the coming weeks.

All scheduled calls at Iskenderun are currently being omitted, with the following contingency plans in place to enable customers to continue booking cargo imports and exports to the region until we reinstate our regular Iskenderun services and vessels. When Iskenderun Assan resumes normal operations we expect to resume our normal routings & schedules.

Please note that our POD agents may ask shippers wishing to book cargo to Iskenderun and Mersin to confirm that containers will be accepted with receivers.

Port of Mersin
The port has faced increased pressure from diverted import cargo and was expected to close its gate for four days from 1200hrs on 23 February, after which there would be no full container entrance except for reefer and rail cargo. To reduce congestion, gate entries of export cargoes are being arranged according to the order of vessel operations. Only containers carrying export cargoes belonging to vessels specified by the port authorities are allowed to enter the gate.

Inland infrastructure
Roads to and from Kayseri and Konya are now open, however there is congestion on roads to and from Kahramanmaraş and Gaziantep. Roads between Adıyaman – Malatya – Elazığ are currently open but have suffered damage and are under controlled entry at some locations.

Railways to Kayseri and Konya have also reopened, however rail connections to and from Mersin – Antep are under tonnage restrictions due to station damage at Narli.

MSC remains committed to finding solutions for its customers’ supply chains and to ensure they remain operational and efficient during these challenging times. Our thoughts remain with all those affected by this tragedy and the people of Türkiye and Syria.

Should you have any questions, please contact your local MSC representatives, in our global network of more than 675 offices.

08 February 2023 - Update 1

On Monday 6 February 2023, Türkiye and Syria were the epicenter of a catastrophic earthquake that severely affected infrastructure and operations in the region.

MSC would like to inform customers that whilst this natural disaster has had an impact on our operations and services, no vessels were impacted.

The magnitude of the earthquake has caused significant damage to logistics and transport infrastructure in Iskenderun. The terminal facilities in Iskenderun area have been subject to severe structural damage, leading to a complete stop of all operations until further notice. Inland infrastructure in the area, including roads and rail, have also been affected and at this time road traffic is congested and railways to Kayseri and Konya are closed.

The port of Mersin has not been impacted, however Monday afternoon operations were ceased to align with the local state of emergency. Since yesterday, port operations have resumed.

Due to current conditions, calls at Iskenderun are being omitted until operations resume. For cargo already loaded and sailing towards Iskenderun, MSC will divert shipments to Tekirdag in accordance with clause 19 of MSC Carrier’s Terms and Conditions. The same will apply for all bookings meant for Iskenderun unless customers instruct us differently (contact your local MSC agent).

All booking cancellations, amendments and changes of destination, as well as demurrage at destination will be free of charge* for Iskenderun bookings throughout the month of February.

It is undetermined when operations at the port of Iskenderun will restart, but we will do our best to minimise the impact on our customers and their supply chains. We will communicate in due course as soon as we have further information.

MSC extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by this tragedy. Our thoughts are with the families, loved ones and the people of Türkiye during these challenging times.

Should you have any questions, please contact your local MSC representatives, in our global network of more than 675 offices. 

*Terms apply and will be communicated in due course.