It is 20 years since TURSSA – the Turkey Ship Suppliers Association was formed. A glittering Dinner was held in Istanbul and the Association welcomed ISSA President Mr Rafael Fernandez and the Turkish Governor to add lustre to this important milestone along with many other friends and important guests. The event also marked the centenary celebration of the Republic of Turkey.

TURSSA was founded in 2003 to gather the ship supply industry in Turkey under a corporate roof. TURSSA President Zihni Memisoglu said: “ I would like sincerely to thank our founding members, and all our members who supported us by joining us on our journey.” Great strides inTurkish ship supply have been taken and the industry has developed apace.

Mr Memisoglu continued: “As TURSSA, we are moving forward to new years with our trust-based collaborations and environmentally friendly approaches for maintaining quality service networks from land to sea.

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"The special guest of honour on the night, attending for the first time, was Sheikh Khaled Al Sabah, CEO of Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC)."

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Turning to honoured guests attending the celebration, Mr Memisoglu said: “We especially welcome Mr Tamer Kiran, President of the Chamber of Shipping,” “Our industry and our Association work in co-operation with the Chamber of Shipping both for sectoral legislation and structuring our activities. “I want to emphasise that our sector represents a crucial component within the maritime industry’s operations.

“Ship supply provides full support to maritime transportation with its 24/7 uninterrupted way of doing business, he concluded. TURSSA is a member of the International Ship Suppliers & Services Association (ISSA). A warm and special welcome was given to ISSA President Mr. Rafael Fernandez who joined the celebrations. A pledge from TURSSA on this special night was continued co-operation with ISSA and that mutual support will continue into the future. Happy anniversary TURSSA!

www.turssa.org

By JULIAN BERRY 5th APRIL 2024