İstanbul: terminals and cargoes

İstanbul has container terminals on both sides of the city, the Tuzla shipyard area and the anchorages at both ends of the Bosphorus. Most inspection companies and many agents have their head office here.

The main terminals

Terminal	Where	Typical cargoes
Marport, Kumport, Mardaş	Ambarlı	Containers, general cargo, Ro-Ro
Ambarlı tank terminals	Ambarlı	Petroleum products, chemicals
Haydarpaşa	Kadıköy	Containers and general cargo
Tuzla shipyards	Tuzla	Repair, dry docking, newbuilding
Bosphorus anchorages	Ahırkapı, Kartal, Tuzla and the Black Sea entrance	Ships waiting, bunkering, crew change

A rough guide only: most terminals handle more than what is listed, and the cargo mix changes with trade, markets and sanctions. Your agent will know what a berth is taking at the moment.

What arrives and what leaves

Containers for the city and the Marmara region make up most of the cargo. Many ships only pass through the Bosphorus, and stop at the anchorages for bunkers, supplies, crew changes or repairs at Tuzla.

Surveys on a typical call

Container terminals see damage surveys, tally and lashing checks. Bunker surveys are common at the anchorages. Ships going into Tuzla for repair often need on/off-hire, damage, thickness and underwater surveys. See the damage survey, bunker survey and thickness measurement guides.

Practical notes

The European and Asian sides are far apart in city traffic. Name the terminal or anchorage in your request.
Bosphorus transit has its own rules, and pilotage and traffic control can affect when a ship arrives.

Companies in İstanbul

The İstanbul page lists the authorized inspection companies, ship agents and other service companies working there.

Finding a surveyor

Choose the port on Portiva to see every authorized company there. To get quotes, send one request and we pass it to companies working in that port. Survey companies abroad looking for a local surveyor to attend on their behalf can use the attending surveyor request.