Ekol's Ro-Ro Company- Alternative- Launches a New Vessel "Meleq"
Posted by on Nov 22, 2016
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Alternative having been transformed into an important Ro-Ro transport brand within a short period of three years, Alternative Transport launched its sixth vessels, “MELEQ” on Friday, November 18, at an event attended by 200 guests in Flensburg, Germany.
MELEQ has a 280-trailer capacity and will join Alternative Transport’s five-strong Ro-Ro vessel fleet in February, 2017, to serve the Turkey to Italy route. The vessel is 210 meters long, has a freight capacity of 32,600 tons, and can achieve the top speed of 21.3 knots.
Following the launch, which hosted prominent logistics industry guests from all over the Europe, Ekol Logistics and Alternative Transport Chairman Ahmet Musul commented, “Three years ago we set out on our journey chartering vessels. Today we are proud to be launching our sixth Ro-Ro vessels, MELEQ. On the way, we have achieved sustainable growth and invested more than €100 million in expanding our fleet. After introducing MELEQ, we will continue to open new routes and increase frequency in existing routes through new investments. Furthermore, we plan to complete construction and begin operations at the Yalova Ro-Ro Terminal in the beginning of 2017. We will be offering significant operational advantages to the industry with our expanding fleet and our new terminal.”
“We are pleased by the opportunity and trust given by Ekol Logistics and Alternative Transport and are very confident that our experience and knowledge on the design and construction of these type of vessels will provide an important contribution to the success of both Ekol and Alternative” said Henrique Pestana, Chief Design Officer of FSG, the builder of MELEQ.
About Alternative Transport:
Alternative Transport commenced operations as Turkey’s first intermodal freight transport provider in 2013. The company’s cutting-edge Ro-Ro vessels Hatche, Paqize, Qezban, Fadiq and Ayshe have been running four days a week between the ports of Haydarpaşa (Istanbul, Turkey) and Trieste (Italy) and once a week between the ports of Alsancak (Izmir, Turkey) and Sète (France). Alternative’s goal is to offer customers services that are more efficient, better quality, and more sustainable, through its highly competitive Ro-Ro logistics.
About Ekol Logistics:
Ekol began its operations in 1990 and made customer satisfaction the main focus of its efforts from the very first day of its establishment to become a pioneering brand in Europe. Having launched its commercial activities organising international cargo shipments, Ekol has since achieved to build an integrated company structure offering third party integrated logistics services. With its years of accumulated know-how, highly qualified staff and cutting-edge technological practices, Ekol offers integrated logistics and supply chain solutions to its customers from a wide range of industries. Ekol ranks among the pioneering suppliers of integrated logistics services both in Turkey and Europe. Its distribution centers in Turkey sprawl approx. 750.000 m² of land while its facilities in Germany, Italy, Romania, France, Greece, Ukraine, Bosnia, Hungary, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Iran cover a total area of 100.000 m². It boasts a fleet of over 5,500 own vehicles and more than 6,500 multi-national employees.
About FSG:
FSG is the world’s biggest builder of Ro-Ro vessels with 43 units delivered between 2000 and 2016, a total of 1.2 million gross tons. The shipyard is known for its innovative designs both in terms of fuel consumption as well as in terms of transport efficiency.