Operational Impact of Earthquake in Turkey and Syria

13 February 2023

February 20th, 2023 - Update 6

The earthquake that sadly hit Turkey and Syria on Monday 6th February 2023 has had a significant impact on logistics operations in the region. Sealand – A Maersk Company teams have been keeping a close eye on the situation and developing relief packages for affected customers in the hopes of minimising any impact on supply chains.

We have noted potential issues with documentation as a result of the earthquake and are now offering the following to assist with Bill of Lading transactions.

Given the COD option for containers on water destined for the Port of Iskenderun, original Bill of Ladings must be re-issued according to new POD. In such situations, customers should surrender old Bill of Ladings to the nearest Sealand offices OR to our vendor Ilkay Denizcilik offices. Our teams will provide immediate support to issue a new Bill of Lading with the new POD.
In cases where it is impossible to endorse the original Bill of Lading OR it’s impossible to find the original Bill of Lading due to difficulties in the region affected by the earthquake, please reach out to your local CX representative through “tr.export@sealandmaersk.com / tr.import@sealandmaersk.com”, and our teams will work to grant ease of business for the solution as soon as possible.

We will continue to listen to our customer needs and make the necessary adjustments to our relief packages as this situation goes on.

Our teams are here to serve you and help you through this time, so please don’t hesitate to contact your local Customer Experience representative if you have any questions or wish to discuss our contingencies in greater detail.

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We have set up a dedicated emergency hotline for customers on (+90) 0 232 488 94 01.

February 13th, 2023 - Update 5

Following the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the Port of Iskenderun remains closed until further notice due to significant damage at the terminal. We previously communicated that a container fire had broken out at the port, but we are pleased to report that it is now under the control of local authorities.

It is not yet known when a full inspection will take place to understand the extent of the damage and affected containers, but we will keep you updated as soon as we know more.

We are continuing to do all in our power and control to minimise the impact on customers and keep supply chains moving as efficiently as possible. As the situation is changing frequently, Sealand – A Maersk Company has adapted the terms of its relief packages in line with customer needs. Please see below for updated details, including for export cargo from Iskenderun:

Free Change of Destination (COD)

No Change of Destination (COD) service fee for containers on the water destined for the Port of Iskenderun, or containers gated-in full at the first loading port bound for Iskenderun to any other port in Turkey (TRMER, TRIZM, TRKOR, TRAMB).
This includes re-stowage, operational and admin fees. COD in this instance will be initiated by Sealand.
COD admin fees waived to destinations away from Turkey. Customers will, however, be liable for re-stowage and extra shifting costs, plus the ocean freight difference of the new destination. COD in this instance will be initiated by the customer moving away from Turkey.
Acceptance of COD requests are subject to capacity at the new destination and operational feasibility.

Booking amendments/cancellations

No cancellation fees on active bookings to and from Iskenderun or Mersin on SPOT.
Free of charge POL amendment to any other Turkish port for bookings from Iskenderun.
Free of charge vessel postponements on bookings from Mersin.
We shall waive penalty fees for shipments under Partnership Contract Product (block space, flexible), exported from Iskenderun or Mersin.

Demurrage and Detention (D&D)

Interim stop of the Import Combined D&D* and Export Detention* and Demurrage* clock for containers in Iskenderun from February 6th, 2023 until February 20th, 2023, where the D&D responsibility lies with Sealand.
Interim stop of the Export Detention* clock for containers in Mersin from February 6th, 2023 until February 20th, 2023.
For containers destined for the Port of Iskenderun, when COD will be performed to any other Turkish port: if the customer has special free time at the new destination, the same will be applied. If the customer has no special free time at new destination, 10 days free time will be applied as tariff.

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We have set up a dedicated emergency hotline for customers on (+90) 0 232 488 94 01.

*Export Demurrage: Free time period and charges for utilisation of equipment inside of terminals or depots (invoiced under Demurrage). Demurrage starts with gate-in full date (included) and ends with load on board date (included). Click here to find out more about export D&D calculation in Turkey.
*Export Detention: Free time period and charges for utilisation of equipment outside of terminals or depots (invoiced under Detention). Detention starts with empty pick-up date (included) and ends with gate-in full date (included). Click here to find out more about export D&D calculation in Turkey.
*Import Combined Demurrage & Detention: Free time period and charges for utilisation of equipment inside and outside of terminals or depots (invoiced under Detention). Click here to find out more about import combined D&D calculation in Turkey.

February 08th, 2023 - Update 4

Sealand – A Maersk Company is continuing to keep a close eye on the developing situation in Turkey and Syria, following the recent earthquake that caused significant damage to logistics infrastructure in the region.

As the Port of Iskenderun remains closed until further notice, our teams have been hard at work creating contingency plans for affected customers with cargo bound for the Port – hoping to minimise the impact of the circumstances on your supply chain.

This means we will unfortunately not be able to deliver cargo currently on the water bound for the Port of Iskenderun. We will instead be holding containers in nearby ports and hubs for three weeks from today (Wednesday 8 February) at no extra cost while we plan next steps and final deliveries.

Alternatively, we can deliver cargo to any Turkish port within operational feasibility and capacity constraints. This will be a free of charge Change of Destination (COD) arrangement, including re-stowage, operational and admin fees. Please head to our dedicated Turkey/Syria earthquake advisory page for full COD terms and further relief package details.

To better understand the contingencies and to discuss cargo delivery, we encourage you to please reach out to your local Sealand customer service agent. We can also discuss available options if the final delivery is to a port away from Turkey or the delivery decision will take longer than three weeks.

We regret any inconvenience this may cause your business but thank you for your trust and understanding during a very challenging time.

Rest assured we will continue to do everything in our power and control to find solutions for our customers’ supply chains to keep them moving as efficiently as possible.

Our teams are here to serve you and help you through this time, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We have set up a dedicated emergency hotline for customers on (+90) 0 232 488 94 01.

February 07th, 2023 - Update 3

Sealand – A Maersk Company’s logistics operations and services continue to be impacted by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, which hit the region on Monday 6 February 2023 and provoked a number of aftershocks.

The Port of Iskenderun remains closed until further notice, as teams look to repair the significant damage caused by the disaster and subsequent fire. We are currently unable to say exactly how long operations will be stopped at the port, but we will keep customers informed of the latest developments as soon as possible.

At this time, we are not accepting any new bookings to and from Iskenderun. Our teams are hard at work developing contingency plans involving nearby hubs and additional feeder vessels, with the aim of minimising the overall impact on customers and their supply chains.

If you already have a booking in place or on the water, your Sealand representative will be in touch to discuss relief packages that we’ve put into action and further options for your cargo. The full terms of our measures to ease pressure on your logistics operations are outlined below:

Free Change of Destination (COD)

No COD service fee for containers on the water destined for the Port of Iskenderun or Port Mersin, Turkey, or containers gated-in full at the first loading port bound for Iskenderun or Mersin.
COD is subject to the expense of re-stowage and extra shifting cost, plus the ocean freight difference of the new destination unless initiated by the carrier.
Acceptance of COD requests are subject to capacity at the new destination and operational feasibility.

Booking amendments/cancellations

No amendment / cancellation fees on active bookings to and from Iskenderun or Mersin on SPOT.
We shall waive penalty fees for shipments under Partnership Contract Product (block space, flexible), exported from Iskenderun or Mersin.

Demurrage and Detention (D&D)

Interim stop of the Import Combined D&D* and Export Detention* and Demurrage* clock for containers in Iskenderun from February 6th, 2023 until February 20th, 2023, where the D&D responsibility lies with Sealand.

Rest assured, during these challenging circumstances, we will do everything in our power and control to find solutions for our customers’ supply chains to keep them moving as efficiently as possible. We thank you for your patience, trust and understanding throughout.

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We have set up a dedicated emergency hotline for customers on (+90) 0 232 488 94 01.

February 07th, 2023 - Update 2

As a result of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria on Monday 6 February 2023, the Port of Iskenderun obtained significant damage and a subsequent fire broke out amongst containers at the terminal in the evening.

Sealand – A Maersk Company teams have been working to assess the situation and potential loss of cargo, but at this time the fire is yet to be controlled fully by local authorities on the ground.

It’s not yet known how long recovery efforts will take and when the port can undergo a full inspection of the damage, but we will keep you informed as soon as we hear the latest developments.

Rest assured we are doing all in our power and control, including working closely with the terminal, to accelerate a resolution to the situation. Sealand – A Maersk Company is committed to supporting your logistics operations and we will outline all information and next steps as a result of the fire in due course.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We have set up a dedicated emergency hotline for customers on (+90) 0 232 488 94 01.

In light of the earthquake that sadly hit Turkey and Syria on the morning of Monday 6 February 2023, Sealand – A Maersk Company would like to inform customers of the subsequent impact on our operations and services.

Such was the magnitude of the earthquake that there has been significant damage to logistics and transport infrastructure around the Pazarcik, Kahramanmaras, epicentre, including at the Port of Iskenderun.

The port has unfortunately been subject to severe structural damage, leading to a complete stop of all operations until further notice. Roads have also been heavily affected, and at this time vendors are not moving any trucks in and around the area.

Given the situation at Iskenderun, we will need to perform a change of destination for all bookings bound for the port or already on the water. We are currently planning to divert containers to nearby hubs within operational feasibility or hold at transshipment ports - including Port of Mersin and Port Said. If your cargo is impacted by our contingency measures, we will reach out to you directly to discuss options as soon as possible.

All booking cancellations, amendments and changes of destination will be free of charge* for Iskenderun and Mersin bookings throughout the month of February. It is not yet clear when the Port of Iskenderun will see a return to normal operations, but we will keep you informed as soon as we know more and continue to update our relief packages in line with customer needs – full details and terms will be communicated when finalised.

We thank you for your patience and understanding. Rest assured we will do everything we can to minimize the impact on our customers and their supply chains.

Sealand would also like to extend its deepest sympathies to those affected by the disaster. Our thoughts are with you during this very difficult time.

Should you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We have set up a dedicated emergency hotline for customers on (+90) 0 232 488 94 01.

*terms apply and will be communicated as soon as possible

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