Turkey’s largest ferries revived transportation on Lake Van

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure had 2 ferries, 135 meters long, built in Lake Van, which is Turkey’s largest salt and soda lake, in order to stimulate transportation.

The 24-meter-wide, 7-storey ferries completed in the shipyard in Tatvan included 2 wheelhouses, 4 side by side railways, each 125 meters long for a total of 500 meters, and units such as cafes and restaurants.

The ferries, each with a capacity to carry 2 thousand tons of cargo and 350 passengers, accelerated the transportation via Lake Van with their higher speed and carrying more cargo than the old ferries.

With the ferries that were launched on Lake Van in 2018 and started sailing in 2018, 91 thousand 418 wagons, net 2 million 192 thousand 631, gross 4 million 2 thousand 898 tons of cargo, 7 thousand 243 passengers and 2 thousand 734 vehicles have been transported in the 1918 voyages carried out so far.

Cargo-filled wagons are loaded onto ferries from Tatvan Ferry Operation Directorate pier and taken to Van, and from Van they are sent to Central Asian countries via Iran by trains.

Lake Van, which has an important place in regional tourism with its historical sites and natural beauties, also offers passengers the opportunity to travel in a unique landscape.

Lake Van Ferry Operations Manager Coşkun Gündüz said that the ferries, which are 135 meters long, are the largest in Turkey.

Stating that they now carry the load carried by the four ferries they used to use with one ferry, Gündüz said, “There are 4 railways on our ships, the length of which is 125 meters. Currently, one of our ships carries the load that the old 4 ships carried. The carrying capacity of each ship is 2 thousand tons. When we put two ships on a voyage, it is 4 thousand tons. “We are carrying a burden.” said.

Stating that the number of passengers decreased and the amount of cargo increased during the epidemic period, Gündüz said, “We carried the highest load during the pandemic period in 2020 with 383 voyages. Then there was a slight decrease. We made 404 voyages in 2022. The old ships have the capacity to carry 7 wagons, and these have the capacity to carry 50 wagons. “Turkey’s largest ferries are locally and nationally manufactured. Our ships have the capacity to carry 350 passengers, but they are not cruise ships.” he said.

Explaining that the wagons full of cargo are loaded onto the ferry from Tatvan and sent to Van, they are taken to the Central Asian countries via Iran by train, Gündüz said, “The train takes the wagons we loaded from Van. With the construction of these ships, we have carried more cargo. Since the ships provide convenience, they do not wait for cargo, and in order not to keep them waiting.” “We are doing our best. Previously, the loads were waiting for 15-20 days. Even if there is an overload, we can easily transport it by taking two ships on a voyage.” he said.

DENZ NEWS AGENCY