The tender for 15 passenger ships, which created controversy with criticism of “delivery to address tender” by companies from European countries due to the carbon composite ship material in the tender specifications, has been concluded.

After the previous valid offer was canceled due to the high cost, the second tender was held on April 30, and the Turkish company Özata Shiyard won the tender.

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu announced the tender result at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Sludge Digestion and Drying Facility. Kocaoğlu said, “The tender went to a local industrialist named Özata, who gave 117 million TL. So the money stayed in Turkey. We were criticized a lot for allegedly awarding a home delivery tender to foreigners. “Delivery to the address is the industrialist of the Republic of Türkiye,” he said.

Özata company competed with the Norwegian Brodrene AAAS company, which bid 149 million 428 thousand 628 Euros in the tender. According to the tender specifications, Özata Tersanecilik San ve Tic. Ltd. Şti. which won the tender of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, will deliver the first ship after 550 days and the other ships every 90 days.

The vessels will be manufactured with light specific material (carbon composite) and will be of catamaran hull type that can save fuel at high speed. By ensuring operational efficiency, fuel and similar costs will be reduced.

The catamaran hull type stood out with its high and comfortable maneuverability and ergonomic criteria such as the spaciousness of the passenger lounges, comfort and ease of boarding and boarding.

Environmentalist and Disabled Friendly

The new vessels to be built were planned to be particularly environmentally friendly and disabled-friendly, to keep passenger comfort and safety at the highest level, and to have low operation-maintenance-repair costs and fuel consumption. The vessels will be produced using today’s most advanced technology.

With the use of carbon composite as shipbuilding material and keeping the perfection in sound insulation very high, the new vessels will operate more ‘quieter’ than the existing vessels. Disabled citizens will also be able to use the vessels easily. The piers will be restructured and modernized according to the new vessels to be purchased.