The vessel named Gürsel Aksel, constructed at the Özata Shipyard and delivered to the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, is set to begin its voyages in the month of February.

The construction of the 9th passenger vessel, out of the 15 new ones brought to the city by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and named by the people of Izmir, has been completed. The vessel, whose final checks were conducted at Özata Shipyard, will bear the name of Göztepe’s legendary captain, Gürsel Aksel. The Gürsel Aksel vessel is expected to arrive in the city by the end of January, with voyages scheduled to commence in February.

Last month, the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality inaugurated a vessel named after Karşıyaka’s legendary football player, Cengiz Kocatoros, known as ‘Gode Cengiz,’ in a ceremony. In the coming months, important figures in Izmir football, such as Sait Altınordu, Vahap Özaltay, and Metin Oktay, will be immortalized once again with gulf vessels. The names of the vessels added to the transportation fleet of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality were determined through a survey involving the participation of Izmir residents. In the survey, which garnered over 500,000 votes, the name 1881-Atatürk received the highest votes. The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, which has put 8 vessels into service so far, named these vessels Çakabey, 9 Eylül, 1881 Atatürk, Soma 301, Dario Moreno, Attila İlhan, Foça, and Cengiz Kocatoros. The first car passenger vessel received was named Hasan Tahsin, a name that also stood out in the survey.