Turkish logistics group Arkas Holding is pursuing up to $110 million of development‑bank financing to expand Autoport, its dedicated roll‑on/roll‑off and breakbulk terminal on the Gulf of İzmit — a move that could materially change vehicle handling capacity at a gateway that serves Turkey’s large Eastern Marmara automotive cluster.
Project details
The total capital expenditure is estimated at USD 157 million. Plans disclosed in bank project documents call for extending the current 656‑metre berth seaward to 850 metres and expanding the yard seaward to about 394,058 m², increasing vehicle parking capacity (including satellite areas) from roughly 13,000 to 21,000 slots. The work also includes dredging, land reclamation, a new roll‑off ramp and seismic reinforcement of quay and warehouses.
Multilateral lenders are in play: the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is considering a non‑sovereign loan of up to $50m (the project reached AIIB concept review on 3 November 2026), while the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have each disclosed proposals for loans of up to $30m. Final approvals had not been granted at the time of the disclosures.
Bank documents and industry reporting estimate the expansion would lift Autoport’s annual vehicle handling from about 650,000 car equivalent units (CEU) to roughly 1.1 million CEU (IFC/AIIB projections), while general‑cargo capacity would rise from 2.0m tonnes to about 2.5m tonnes. Construction works were reported as having started in July 2026.
What this means for the market
Autoport sits at the heart of Türkiye’s Eastern Marmara car cluster and serves exports, imports and transhipment flows that reach Central and Eastern Europe via short‑sea and overland corridors. Increasing berth and yard capacity at Autoport would directly ease a persistent bottleneck for finished‑vehicle exports from the region and add optionality for OEMs and freight forwarders calling on Turkish and regional assembly plants. The lenders’ project disclosures describe Autoport as a major Ro‑Ro gateway for the region.
For Central and Eastern Europe specifically, a larger Autoport matters because it can shorten waiting times for PCTC (pure car and truck carrier) calls, reduce yard congestion that forces rerouting, and increase the volume of short‑sea options into Adriatic and Black Sea ports used by CEE distributors. Those operational benefits are reflected in the project rationale in the lenders’ documents.
Project disclosures say financing decisions remain subject to lender approvals and environmental and social due diligence; the EBRD entry shows approval scheduled in early December 2026 in its project timeline. The AIIB / rights‑in‑development entry was updated on 11 November 2026.
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Sources: AIIB, EBRD, Port Technology, PortNews, Maritimetickers
