Sefine Shipyard Aims to Grow Capacity by 50 Percent

Stating that they started the year 2020 quickly and delivered five ships in total by September despite the pandemic, Sefine Shipyard’s Member of the Board of Directors Demir Kologlu said, “We aim to deliver six vessels in 2021 and grow by 50 percent in capacity”.

During the press visit to Sefine Shipyard, which operates in an area of 140 thousand square meters with approximately 4 thousand employees in Yalova, information was provided about the company’s new projects, investments, works during the pandemic and the current situation in the industry. 

Making a statement there, Sefine Shipyard Member of the Board of Directors, Demir Kologlu said that they started the year 2020 quickly and delivered five vessels in total by September despite the pandemic.

Stating that they delivered three ships and reached a turnover of 160 million euros and an export figure of 150 million euros in 2019, Kologlu said, “We started the year 2020 quickly despite the pandemic. We delivered five vessels in total by September. Our turnover target for the end of 2020 was 200 million euros, but we anticipate that we will have reached a turnover of 245 million euros by the end of the year. We aim to deliver six vessels and grow by 50 percent in capacity in 2021. We continue with our investments and projects as planned. There is no deviation or decrease due to the pandemic.”

Pointing out that the Turkish Shipbuilding industry is an industry with a sector of nearly 2 billion dollars, Kologlu stated that half of the industry was located in the region of Tuzla and the other half in Yalova.

Remarking that the industry employs 55 thousand people, with 25 thousand employed in Tuzla, 20 thousand in Yalova and the rest in other provinces, Kologlu explained that Sefine Shipyard has a significant share in the industry.

“We have an annual sheet metal processing capacity of 40 thousand tons”

Reminding us that they had joined Sefine Shipyard with a 30 percent share in 2008, Kologlu stated that after their contribution, they saw evidence that the industry had a significant growth potential, so they then bought 60 percent of the shares and they reached 100 percent this year.

Indicating that they started shipbuilding with dry cargo vessels, Kologlu noted the following regarding their work:

“We constructed one hundred percent of local ferries for Gesta? Company, SAR boats especially manufactured for General Administration of Coastal Security, and exclusive vessels to be used for natural disasters such as emergency response vessel “Nene Hatun”. We have an annual sheet metal processing capacity of 40 thousand tons. We make a difference in the industry with new generation LNG driven or full battery powered ships or ships fully-equipped with both features, and projects that are environmentally friendly, technological and energy-efficient. We stand out in the industry with live fish carriers, Car&Passenger Ferries and emergency search and rescue vessels. We have started our first Project with the Presidency of Defense Industries, “the Naval Replenishment Vessel (DIMDEG). In line with the project, we are working on the construction of DIMDEG, which is approximately 200 meter long. It will be the second largest and first local and national vessel that we will build for our navy. The construction is in progress in the hangar. All the blocks located in the lower part of the vessel have been welded together and the silhouette of the lower part is almost visible. Seventy percent of the steel section has been constructed and there is only 50 percent left for the project to be fully completed.”

“We build and send turnkey Car&Passenger Ferries to Norway”

Stating that they have built and delivered 38 new ships as of today, Kologlu also provided some information about export.

Emphasizing that the Turkish Shipbuilding Industry makes the majority of its exports to Europe, especially the Northern Countries, Kologlu said, “Almost 100 percent of our turnover is obtained from exports. We, at Sefine Shipyard, have reached a capacity of 200 million euros in exports. We build and send ferries to Northern Countries. Currently, our largest market is Norway. We are the first company to build and send turn-key ferries to Norway. There are a total of 26 ships contracted to be constructed for Norway. We have already delivered 15 of these ships and 11 of them are still under construction. In addition to Norway, we also manufacture and send live fish carriers, especially ferries to Italy, Estonia and Faroe Islands.

“The Pandemic has been both an advantage and disadvantage for the industry”

Answering the journalist’s questions at the end of the meeting, Kologlu evaluated the effects of the pandemic on the industry. Remarking that the pandemic has been both an advantage and disadvantage for the industry, Kologlu stated the following:

“Because the pandemic first broke out in China, a part of China’s share in the shipbuilding industry shifted to other countries including Turkey, especially in the field of repair. This led to an increase in our work, though for a short period of time. With regard to new constructions, we increased our turn-over by receiving new jobs. As a company, we have made an investment of 150 million dollars so far. Thanks to the vessels we have been built, Northern Europe has become our biggest market, but Russia has also recently become a competitor. We know that Turkish markets have been receiving some orders from Russia, which has shown interest in the Turkish market for the last 2 years.”