The tender for the transfer of operating rights for the İskenderun Regional Service Area Piloting Service, conducted by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure via the negotiation method and open auction method within the scope of the provisions of Law No. 4046, has reignited debates about high public share in the sector.
Three companies participated in the tender held today at the General Directorate of Maritime: Turkuaz, DEKAŞ and Markaş. However, Markaş did not participate in the open auction stage. The open auction, starting from the base share rate of 40% specified in the provisional article 1 of Law No. 618, was opened with DEKAŞ’s bid of 79%. This bid gave DEKAŞ the right to have the final say.
The tender process continued with unexpected competition. Turkuaz joined the race by bidding 80%, then DEKAŞ responded with 81%. However, Turkuaz’s aggressive increase with an 88% public share rate changed the course of the tender. DEKAŞ, which had the right to have the final say, withdrew from the tender without increasing this bid.
Thus, the 20-year operating right for the İskenderun pilotage service was awarded to the Turkuaz company with an 88% public share rate. With DEKAŞ’s withdrawal at 81%, debates about how public share rates affect sustainability and competition in the sector were brought back to the agenda.
While the tender results reveal the current state of public share rates in the field of pilotage services; sector representatives emphasize that the effects of these rates on service quality, economic sustainability, and the operational costs of shipowners need to be seriously questioned. The current picture clearly shows that unease persists among shipowners.
7DENIZ
