Technology Choice and Productivity in the Turkish merchant fleet in the last two decades

Sea transportion has become a significant sector in Turkey since the early 1980s. It has developed due to the domestic subsidies provided and also because of the favourable conjuncture in the world ship Sale and Purchase markets in this period. In the 1990s this sector has started to gain some self-confidence and has completed the 'Infant Inudustry' period. However, bacause its structure is open to international competition, the protection policies available in the 1980s have been found to be inadequate. The capacity of the Turkish merchant fleet has expanded to a considerable extent in the last two decades, but it is comprised of over-aged and old fashioned ships built using outdated technology. and a sudden and cat-astrophic crisis could be approaching. A precaution in the long run could be to have special types of ships carrying convenient loads at minimum costs.