Türkiye’s Growing Role as a Road Bridge to the Gulf

Over the past few years, global supply chains have faced near-constant disruption. The pandemic realigned many international trading networks, while subsequent instability has highlighted the importance of flexibility and route diversification.

One of the most important lessons we have learned is a positive one: trade always finds a way. But for businesses moving goods between Europe, the Far East and the Gulf, resilience and the ability to react quickly when conditions change have become strategic priorities.

Against this backdrop, one of the most significant trends emerging is the increasing use of Türkiye as a road freight gateway into the Gulf for cargo originating in both Europe and the Far East.

An Accelerating Trend Across Industries

This is not a trend that is restricted to certain industry sectors. We have a number of examples from our own customer base: a major consumer brand shipping goods from Germany to Türkiye and from there by road to Dubai and other countries in the Gulf; one of the world’s leading automotive OEMs exporting cars from the Netherlands to Gulf countries via Türkiye; industrial components from Austria taking the same route into the region.

Nor is it limited to European-origin cargo. Türkiye is also becoming an increasingly important consolidation and transit point for goods arriving from the Far East before moving onwards into Gulf markets.

Groupage services are becoming especially important in this environment. As businesses look for more agile and cost-efficient ways to serve Gulf markets, consolidating smaller shipments into shared road freight solutions allows cargo to move more flexibly and sustainably across borders while maintaining speed and reliability.

We have been able to service these customers through our Freight Forwarding hubs strategically located across Türkiye, in Istanbul, Bursa, İzmir and Mersin, close to manufacturing plants and logistics hubs.

Road Freight as Part of an Integrated Supply Chain

These examples are revealing because they illustrate a second trend: companies are increasingly looking for logistics models and partners that allow them to combine maritime, road, warehousing and customs capabilities within one integrated, end-to-end network. This makes it possible to shift quickly between transport modes and routes, increasing the importance of integrated logistics providers with multimodal networks spanning ports, inland logistics, road freight and warehousing capabilities.

In Türkiye, our ports still form the backbone of our trade ecosystem. The formation of DP World Evyap in 2024 created the largest port operation in East Marmara and the second largest in Türkiye, significantly strengthening capacity and connectivity for regional and international trade flows.

Continued investment is further expanding these capabilities. In December, Evyap handled its one millionth TEU in a single year across the Körfez and Yarımca terminals, reflecting both growing customer demand and increased operational scale. The subsequent arrival of three new remote-controlled quay cranes at the Körfez terminal further enhanced handling efficiency and capacity.

By integrating road transportation with our port and terminal operations, we can offer customers a more seamless supply chain experience, with greater transparency, predictability and operational efficiency.

Air freight and rail connectivity also strengthen this multimodal model, helping connect Far Eastern and European cargo flows with Gulf markets through Türkiye’s expanding logistics ecosystem. Combined with road freight, this creates additional flexibility for businesses looking to build more adaptive supply chains across multiple regions.

Beyond Transportation

Contract Logistics is another increasingly important part of the equation. In March, we expanded our warehousing footprint in Türkiye with a new 20,000 m² logistics facility in Balçık, in the north-west of the country. Designed to support industries ranging from automotive and industrial manufacturing to retail, technology and healthcare, the facility strengthens our ability to provide integrated storage, consolidation and distribution services across regional trade corridors.

As supply chains become more dynamic, warehousing increasingly acts as a strategic enabler rather than simply a storage function. Customers require logistics partners capable of supporting inventory management, rapid redistribution and multimodal coordination within one connected ecosystem.

Alongside physical infrastructure, financial agility is also becoming increasingly important to international trade. Trade finance solutions can help businesses manage working capital more effectively, improve cash flow and support the movement of goods across increasingly complex supply chains.

The advantages are practical as much as strategic. Integrated management across all of these areas allows for improved timing and cost control, faster response times and more reliable delivery windows. Real-time visibility across the supply chain also gives customers greater confidence and flexibility when managing inventory and distribution across multiple markets.

Building Resilience Through Connectivity

The investments we have made in road freight solutions across Türkiye in recent years have enabled us to contribute to Türkiye’s growing role as an overland gateway into the Gulf for European and Far Eastern cargo, but they were made well before this trend started to become apparent. We did not have a crystal ball.

Instead, they were made with a broader objective in mind: strengthening our ability to provide customers with integrated, end-to-end logistics solutions across ports, inland transportation and contract logistics, thereby offering customers options because we can control multiple parts of the supply chain.

This principle will continue to drive decision-making because the one thing we can know for sure is that global supply chains will face more challenges over the coming years. Companies that cannot adapt quickly to changing circumstances will continue to leave themselves vulnerable to disruption. As we are seeing now in Türkiye, logistics providers that can offer this level of flexibility, connectivity and integration will continue to hold a powerful competitive advantage.