Gezairi aquires Turkey firm

New route to Libya, FedEx agency in North Iraq

Local shipping firm Gezairi Transport has recently acquired a company in Turkey to offer a new line of services, Non-Vessel Operating Container Carrier (NVOC). The company, previously a subsidiary of the international CP World Group, handles the transportation of small shipments. Goods will be consolidated in one container and transported from anywhere in the world to Turkey and vice versa, by land, sea, and air.

Fouad Bawarshi, General Manager at Gezairi, said: “Companies or individuals who need to transport small amount of goods, of weight around 500 kg, from and to Turkey can transport them without having to rent the whole container.” He said the service gathers several shipments in one container, so they can benefit from lower prices.

Bawarshi said: “We already offer shipping services in Turkey, but this new company brings a new concept.” This service is already available in the local market.

According to Bawarshi, the investment cost was huge because the company established warehouses for storing goods. He said: “The demand for this service is very high in Turkey.”
Gezairi Transport also aims to open a new maritime route to Libya. The new line will move from Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon to the Libyan ports of Benghazi, Misrata, and Tripoli. “Later on we intend to open our own company in Libya,” Bawarshi said. He said: “The demand for transportation to Libya is still too low from the local market. We are waiting for an enhancement of the political relations between the two countries.”

The shipments will be sent on a weekly basis. “The charge for transporting a container from Beirut to Libya through Egypt reaches $700, but prices are higher if shipments have to go to Libya directly.”

Gezairi Transport became agents for international courier FedEx to open offices in North Iraq (Kurdistan). The company will carry out postal services to northern Iraq. Bawarshi said: “We expect to do good business in North Iraq, because it is a promising market, and the companies that cater this type of services are still too few.”