The renewed Gulf fleet of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality is soon welcoming its 12th and 13th ships. The vessels wihich named “Metin Oktay” and “Gezi,” constructed by Özata Shipyard, will be in service by the New Year.

The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, having completely renewed its Gulf fleet, is soon adding its 12th and 13th ships. Having recently received the Vahap Özaltay vessel, the Metropolitan Municipality, with names chosen by the people of Izmir, will put into service passenger ships named “Gezi” and “Metin Oktay” by the New Year.

The Metropolitan Municipality, aiming for more effective use of Izmir Gulf in public transportation, has designed and had constructed 15 passenger vessels by Çeksan and Özata shipyards. Of these, 11 have been completed and put into service. The 12th vessel from the vessels named by the people of Izmir, “Metin Oktay,” will be completed in August, and “Gezi” will be completed in November and will be receive.

Contract Will Be Completed Before the Contract Date

The production process of the new ships in Yalova is progressing rapidly. The 12th passenger ship, “Metin Oktay,” which is supposed to be completed in October according to the contract, will be finished two months earlier and will be received in August. The 13th ship, “Gezi,” will also be completed two months ahead of the contract date and will be in Izmir in November instead of January.

Fast, Safe, Comfortable, Economical

The comfort, speed, and maneuverability of Izmir’s new passenger ships have ushered in a new era in sea transportation. The use of carbon composite material in the ships has reduced fuel consumption based on weight, consequently lowering carbon dioxide emissions. Being environmentally friendly and accessible to people with disabilities, maintaining the highest level of passenger safety are among the significant advantages of the new ships.

Named by the Izmırers

The names of the vessels added to Izmir Metropolitan Municipality’s transportation fleet were determined through a survey participated in by the people of Izmir. In the survey, where over 500,000 votes were cast, the name 1881-Atatürk received the highest votes. Having put into service 11 vessels so far, the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality named these vessels Çakabey, 9 Eylül, 1881 Atatürk, Soma 301, Dario Moreno, Attila İlhan, Foça, Cengiz Kocatoros, Gürsel Aksel, Sait Altınordu, and Vahap Özaltay. The names of the car-passenger vessels received were Hasan Tahsin and Ahmet Piriştina, as highlighted in the survey. The name of the last car-passenger vessel will be Kubilay.