ABSTRACT

Containerization has caused significant structural, operational, and strategic changes in ports. Ports, which have an important role in the development of a country, also have an impact on the regional distribution of development. Therefore, changes in port throughputs, market shares and regional concentrations seen under the influence of changes caused by containerization are key indicators for analyzing the effects of ports on the regional distribution of development. Thus, the effects of ports on regional recovery and development movements, trade patterns and cargo flow in the region can be revealed. This article examines the changes in container volume of port authorities in Türkiye between 2004 and 2022 and the concentration and spread trends of containerization. The aim of this study is to provide a perspective to decision makers in determining future development and investment strategies as a result of determining the current situation of Turkish ports. In this study, Gini Coefficient and Shift-Share analysis methods were used. The necessary data for this study was obtained from the official institutions of the Republic of Türkiye. The results show that state ports, due to their sluggish and less dynamic structures, are being replaced by private ports that can respond to demands quickly and offer efficient container operations thanks to their advanced technology infrastructures. The findings show that today Turkish container traffic is more evenly distributed among existing ports. Moreover, although container volumetric concentration is still more dominant in the Marmara region, significant increases in container volumetric concentration have been observed in the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Black Sea regions.