Could you specifically talk about your position here and what you do?
I'm the Europe director, so I'm responsible for the international brand Europort’s, not only in Istanbul but also in Rotterdam and in other countries. Our task is to connect maritime people from all over the world, so we try to bring together ship owners, shipyards, and ship suppliers. We think that Istanbul is the right location for that.
How did the exhibition go so far for you? What did you expect to see here? What did you see?
Well, this is the first day that Europe or Istanbul has opened its doors, so far so good. We saw a great number of people coming in, both from the surrounding areas and from other countries. It's good that we have launched this show for today, and we look forward to two more exciting business days.
How do you consider the current position of Turkish maritime market from your perspective?
The maritime industry is a cross-border industry by nature, and we believe that Türkiye has a very strategic position geographically. But also, if you look at the shipbuilding capacity and the number of shipyards and the activities that are taking place here, we feel that Istanbul, in particular, is a real maritime hotspot for our clients and exhibitors.