What "The Wire" tells us about Turkish shipping

In the second season of the excellent US series “The Wire”, a trade unionist working on the Baltimore docks says he’s just seen a film about Rotterdam – one of the most automated container ports in the world.  He calls it a horror movie.

I thought of “The Wire” during the recent “Container Handling Technology Turkey” conference held at the British Consulate general in Istanbul.  The efficiency of container terminals around the world hinges on the technology and equipment they use.  The more efficient the ports, the cheaper the goods they ship are for consumers; and the more business those ports get.

That’s why Turkey, as its economy grows, needs to expand the capacity of its 176 ports from around 10m TEU (TEU is a measurement unit equivalent to a standard-sized container) to 20m TEU by 2020.  At the conference, participants including port operators from Turkey and British service and equipment providers such as Vector Port and Transport Solutions, TT Club and Moffatt & Nichol focused on the challenges to improving efficiency and how to use technology most efficiently.

Turkey, with its rapidly-growing economy, has a fantastic geographical position to become an international gateway for shipping traffic.  But competition is tough.  If British companies can help Turkish ports to ship more goods, I’ll be delighted.  As for the guy from the Wire – well, without spoiling the plot for anyone who’s not seen it, I can reveal that things don’t end brilliantly for him.