Fire at Turkey’s Iskenderun Port: what are the consequences on the port and transportation field?

What happened with the port of Iskenderun after Turkey earthquake ? 

The earthquake that occurred in Turkey, caused a lot of damage in the country, especially in the port of Iskenderun and Kahramanmaras city. The moment was filmed, and it is possible to look at the port and see a huge column of smoke that was caused by a fire following the Kahramanmaras earthquake. After the analysis of the damage, it was reported that the quays of the port of Iskendenrun collapsed. The huge fire spread and dozens of containers were still burning on Tuesday evening, 7th. The pictures show black and greasy smoke above the colored containers. The fire would have started when one of the containers fell on the other following the different aftershocks of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake. The Kahramanmaras earthquake was 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in Turkey’s Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles)

What are the consequences of Iskenderun port fire, on the transport field?

Results of Iskenderun port fire that occurred after Turkey earthquake

The consequences of this earthquake are terrible for Turkey and for the transport field in general, many export-import operations will be slowed down and even deleted because of the fire. As far as the ports are concerned. They are all in function today, except the one in Iskenderun where all sea freight activities have been stopped for obvious reasons. There is also a big risk of pollution because the column of black smoke does not cease to continue. Many attempts have been made to stop the flames. But they continue to feed this black smoke, which creates a big pollution risk.

What are the impacts of Iskenderun port fire on import-export operations ?

Many shipping companies have decided to set up new alternative routes to Egypt or to another major port in Turkey, Mersin because of the Turkish group Limak. Which is in charge of this container terminal has decided very quickly to close. That is why the Turkish maritime authorities were quick to affirm, after the first tremor on Monday, that the alternative ports to Iskenderun were operational.

The fire at the Port of Iskenderun in Turkey has had a significant impact on import-export operations in the region and the transportation field. The blaze, which broke out on February 6th, led to the shutdown of all operations at the terminal until further notice and forced freight liners to divert vessels to other ports. Turkey's port of Iskenderun is closed and steel mills in the region have halted operations following a deadly earthquake that struck southern Turkey. The earthquake heavily impacted logistics and transport infrastructure in the region, as a fire erupted at the Port of Iskenderun in Turkey. This has caused delays in the import-export process, with the carrier announcing booking cancellations, amendments, and changes of destination for Iskenderun and Mersin bookings to be free of charge throughout the month of February. It is unclear when the Port of Iskenderun will return to normal operations.

Last thoughts about the outcome of Iskenderun port Fire

First, DocShipper would like to express our sincere condolences to the people affected directly or indirectly by the earthquake. 

The tragic event of this Monday, February 6, 2023, has caused a great deal of damage in Turkey. In particular, on the port of Iskenderun located a few kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake. The latter has suffered a fire and the flames invading the containers have still not really stopped. The authorities are doing their best, but the thick black smoke continues. This could have serious consequences on the environment.