On February 7, 2023, rescuers worked at the earthquake site in Turkey, and black smoke was still rising from the Port of Iskenderun. A magnitude 7.8 earthquake the day before and the subsequent magnitude 7.5 aftershock caused the pier to collapse and catch fire. (Burak Kara/Getty Images)
[The Epoch Times, Chwefror 07, 2023](Comprehensive report by Epoch Times reporter Li Yan) On Monday (February 6), a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in southern Turkey near the northern border with Syria, followed by a magnitude 7.5 aftershock. The two earthquakes killed more than 5,200 people and caused widespread damage. The Port of Iskenderun in Turkey collapsed and caught fire.
The seismic event, which occurred near the Eastern Anatolia Fault where Turkey is located, severely affected logistics and transport infrastructure in the region. A fire broke out at the port of Iskenderun in Turkey, causing all operations to cease.
“While assessing the damage to our coastal installations, it was determined that the pier at the Port of Iskenderun has collapsed,” said the director general of Turkey’s transport ministry.
The Turkish Maritime Authority announced on Twitter that inspections were being carried out in all ports except Iskenderun following the earthquake.
Port Technology, an international shipping technology news outlet, said that roads in the area have also been severely affected and that trucking is out of the question at the moment. Given this situation, shipping lines plan to transfer containers to nearby hubs, or hold them up at transshipment ports, as far as is practicable.
Maersk will redirect all orders to the port of Iskenderun or already on water.
Maersk plans to move the containers to nearby viable hubs, or hold them up at transshipment ports, including the Port of Mersin and Port Said.
In response to the impact of the earthquake, Maersk said that all bookings in Iskenderun and Mersin in February can be cancelled, modified and changed destinations free of charge.
It is not clear when the port of Iskenderun will be able to resume normal operations.
So far, there have been hundreds of aftershocks from the earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria.
Turkey’s death toll has risen to at least 3,549, while at least 22,168 others have been injured, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday in a speech at the Earthquake Coordination Center in the capital Ankara.
The death toll in Syria is more than 1,712. More than 25,000 people were injured in both countries, according to figures from the Turkish government, White Helmets forces and Syrian state media.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#
