İBB launched 50 of 8 new generation Sea Taxi, all of which will be produced with domestic and national resources. Speaking at the ceremony held at Haliç Shipyard on '24 September World Maritime Day', İBB President Ekrem İmamoğlu“It is very valuable that all sea taxis are produced in Haliç Shipyard. This shipyard was an empty, abandoned area when we took office. I am a mayor who saw the sadness on the faces of the masters here because they did not produce work. We gave our talented friends the opportunity to reproduce. In a way, we are enjoying the pleasure of launching a domestic and national product. Our passion for service is great. Nothing can stand in the way of our passion for service. No matter what they say; We will continue to serve Istanbul," he said.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) President Ekrem İmamoğlu, participated in the launching ceremony of 24 of the city's new generation Sea Taxis on September 8, World Maritime Day. Speaking at the ceremony held at the Haliç Shipyard in Beyoğlu, against the backdrop of the magnificent Istanbul skyline, İmamoğlu emphasized that they are now facing a proud picture. “These sea taxis we launched today are the first step of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality towards the production of sea vehicles, perhaps after decades,” said İmamoğlu. This is something to be proud of. This is teamwork. The determination of the team to create added value, to demonstrate its own production skills, is a move aimed at making 16 million Istanbulites win, without any other intention. That's why I'm really proud today," he said.
“SEA TAXI WILL BRING A NEW BREATH”
Noting that the ceremony coincided with the 'September 24 World Maritime Day', İmamoğlu said, “We are in a very important geography with its Golden Horn and Marmara. We are the sons of a country that is intertwined with the Black Sea and the sea. In the field of transportation, we must take serious steps to benefit from our seas and maximize the share of the sea. Are we good at this? Unfortunately we are not in good shape. We are not in a good position, especially in terms of human transportation and passenger transportation. We must take serious steps on behalf of both our city and our country. We should make more use of it and we should definitely raise the share of the sea.” In this sense, İmamoğlu gave examples of studies aimed at increasing the share of sea transportation in Istanbul transportation and said, "Sea Taxi will actually bring a different breath to Istanbul in terms of quality, quality and fast transportation for this purpose."
“HALIC SHIPYARD WAS BOMBED WHEN I TAKED OFF”
Expressing that the Sea Taxi project started with the decision they took in January 2021, İmamoğlu said, “It is very valuable that all of the sea taxis are produced in Haliç Shipyard. This detail must be heard by all Istanbulites and all of Turkey. Because this shipyard was an empty, abandoned area when we took office. The masters and employees here are not people who grow up so easily. In other words, they are really connoisseurs of their jobs and people who do their job well. I am a mayor who saw the sadness on the faces of these people because they did not produce work when we arrived. In this sense, our team here handled the process at the highest level and we gave our friends, those talented friends the opportunity to reproduce. In the presence of Ms. Sinem, I would like to thank all that huge family. In a way, we are enjoying the pleasure of launching a domestic and national product.”
“THE SUCCESS OF OUR RESPECT FOR ANCIENT CULTURE”
Stating that Istanbul has a magnificent view unlike anywhere else in the world, İmamoğlu said, “There are different beliefs in it. It has an enormous silhouette inside. And there is truly extraordinary geography. The whole world admires here. Then we must be worthy of this land, this ancient culture. In that sense, the fact that such a shipyard, which started production centuries ago during the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror, is able to produce again today is a success we have achieved in return for the respect and responsibility we have for both this land and this ancient culture.”
“WE WANT TO GROW THE NETWORK”
Emphasizing that they want to expand the Sea Taxi network, İmamoğlu stated that they aim to collect sea vehicles with different licenses in a single system. Reminding that the Sea Taxi model that was implemented in the past has not been made operational, İmamoğlu said, “Unfortunately, it is not a process that has been eliminated for years, right in front of it, turned into a scrap - and we forcibly removed them from here - on the contrary, it is not a process that has been eliminated, but on the contrary, it will make life easier with an operable, sustainable mechanism. will continue to serve the people of Istanbul with a system. Our passion for this service is great. Nothing can stand in the way of our passion for service. No matter what they say; We will continue to serve Istanbul," he said.
DEDETAŞ: “WE HAVE THE HAPPINESS OF REALIZING A FIRST”
City Lines General Manager Sinem Dedetaş, in her speech, explained in detail the work they did during the Sea Taxi process. Stating that they started the works on the 170th anniversary of the City Lines, with the instruction of İmamoğlu, Dedetaş said, “At our Golden Horn Shipyard, which has carried out many first productions since 1455, such as galleys, galleons, steam passenger ships, car ferries, and our ferries that are still on the go. Today, we are happy to have achieved another first. Our sea taxis, 8 of which we have launched today, will reach 45 at the end of the year and 2022 in the first quarter of 50.
“WE SAVED 3,5 MILLION EURO”
Emphasizing that they analyzed the mistakes made in previous Sea Taxi applications, Dedetaş drew attention to the financial dimension of the project with the following words:
“The purchasing processes of all needs, including boat production materials, were made by our company. In this way, we achieved a bargaining performance of 23 percent (1,5 million Euros) in the main equipment and caught a difference of 17,5 percent (850 thousand Euros) with the closest supplier in the equipment we purchased. This is how we demonstrated our company's bargaining power in the first domestic and national Sea Taxi production. The gain per boat is 70 thousand Euros, as we carry out the process in-house instead of having a ready-made design from the outside and having it manufactured in another shipyard. This means a savings of 3,5 million Euros in the total budget of this project. Today, we are witnessing one of the most important indicators of our sailor vision at the Haliç Shipyard, which we took over when we were at the closing point.”
IMAMOĞLU WAS THE FIRST CUSTOMER
Expressing his thanks to everyone who contributed to the project, Dedetaş concluded his words by saying, "Our bow is clear, our wind is easy". After the speeches, İmamoğlu and Dedetaş became the first customers of the Sea Taxi named “Kırşığı”. Traveling from the Golden Horn Shipyard to the pier where the IMM Communications Coordinator is located, the duo had a pleasant Istanbul tour.
50 OF 5 TAXI WILL BE HYBRID
50 of a total of 5 taxis produced at Haliç Shipyard will be 'hybrid propulsion systems'. 8 taxis launched today will enter service in October. By the end of the year, 45 sea taxis will be produced. The production of hybrid system water taxis will be completed in February 2022. Sea Taxis with a capacity of 10 passengers will be able to be called from 98 piers in the first place with an application. In the future, the shared usage feature will be added and it will start to serve as a 'Taxi Dolmus'. Taxis can also be called wherever they can dock, regardless of the pier. Sea Taxis can easily approach anywhere with their ability to reach high speed and dock from the beginning. In addition, thanks to the disabled ramp, it has been designed in a way that physically disabled passengers can use it easily. Sea Taxis will have a fixed opening fee with the taximeter model. After a certain mile is exceeded, the fee per mile will be added.
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