ABSTRACT
The economic liberalisation policy has tended to encourage a free market model to be adopted for Turkey. Turkish foreign trade increased from 47.1 million tons in 1985 to 85.5 million tons in 1994. The major shipping sectors in terms of cargo types within total foreign trade shipping in Turkey have been traditionally tanker and OBO shipping, general cargo shipping and dry bulk shipping. Container shipping in the Turkish maritime industry has been rapidly developing since the beginning of the 1990s in parallel with the rapid development of container shipping within intermodal transport in the world. Privatisation has been a popular political tool during the elections in Turkey; however, recently it has continued to focus upon the promises of politicians rather than substantial actions. Turkey, as a landbridge between Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and the Middle East, has a significant geographical position in the area.
