İmamoğlu speaks at 'Sea Dolmuş' ceremony: 'A blessing that exists only in Istanbul in the world'

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) subsidiary Şehir Hatları has implemented its new project following the Sea Taxis.

The Sea Dolmuş project was developed to include environmentally friendly, low-emission, highly maneuverable, high-speed, and comfortable vessels in maritime transportation.

A team of 65 people worked on the project, which began the design of 7 vehicles in March 2024.

Having completed the production of 3 sea dolmuş vessels, Şehir Hatları launched the vehicles into the water with a ceremony held at the historic Haliç Shipyard.

At the program where IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu introduced the Sea Dolmuş to the public and made its first voyage with the Haliç-2 vehicle, CHP Deputy Chairman Volkan Demir, Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş, and Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney witnessed the historic moment. During the program, İmamoğlu, Dedetaş, Güney, and Şehir Hatları General Manager Ercüment Güldik each delivered speeches.

'IT DOES NOT MEAN TURNING EVERYTHING UPSIDE DOWN'

IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who said "Istanbul's land and soil are gold," stated, "When you say this land is gold, it certainly does not mean turning its soil and stone upside down. It is definitely not an Istanbul that has been turned upside down. When you say its land and soil are gold, it is a great sensitivity to treat its soil reasonably, to look after every point of Istanbul like the apple of your eye, and to bring every value, every special moment, and every space of Istanbul together with its worth."

'THIS SHIPYARD WAS GOING TO CLOSE'

Noting that they have handled the historic Haliç Shipyard with special steps since the first day they took it over, İmamoğlu said, "The Haliç Shipyard had been defined and designed as a science museum or an educational area aimed at that, through a contract made with a foundation. This shipyard, which is nearly 600 years old, was going to close. There would be no production here, and it would have set sail for a different kind of interpretation. I will not go into the content of that interpretation. Now, sometimes the decision you make or the step you take in such areas could lead to a situation like throwing away what history has accumulated over centuries. In that respect, we acted very carefully. We carried out a very special study. We addressed how we can ensure that such a blessing, which exists only in Istanbul in the world, lives and is kept alive, and while it lives and is kept alive, how we can integrate this area with the public and include inclusivity that contains very special messages for Istanbul."

'ITS TRUE VALUE WILL BE UNDERSTOOD OVER TIME'

Stating that the historic shipyard has regained its function and become productive, İmamoğlu said, "Culture, art, education, and meetings are held inside. The production of the 600-year-old shipyard continues, and our people watch and observe this production. You will see that this place is turning into a magnificent field that will attract the attention of not only Istanbulites but the whole world in this respect. I can feel how valuable the attention we show to the sea, the shipyard, the sailor, the master, and the apprentice here is, even just by looking into the eyes of the master and apprentice who have put effort here. But its true value will be understood as time passes."

'VERY IMPORTANT STEPS FOR THE FUTURE OF ISTANBUL'

İmamoğlu continued as follows:

"The survival, preservation, and restoration of our ferries, which are a kind of silhouette of our Istanbul, but also the fact that new vehicles such as the Sea Dolmuş and Sea Taxi are being built here, and the development of sustainable strategies for maritime transportation were very important to us, and we took these steps. Projects and services aimed at increasing the share of environmentally friendly, fast, and comfortable alternative maritime transportation in public transport are very important steps for the future of Istanbul. While increasing our number of lines, we have also increased the number of voyages on existing lines, and we will continue to do so. Our efforts continue to make the sea play a more effective role in solving Istanbul's traffic problem."

WILL START SERVICE ON LOW-DENSITY LINES

"Sea Dolmuşes are also an important step in this regard. Seeing that it is a great loss for us in terms of efficiency and waste of resources for high-capacity ships to go to routes with low passenger density and carry very few passengers, our friends developed environmentally friendly and low-emission Sea Dolmuşes and brought them before our eyes today. This is a travel description where we can optimize the fleet and reduce our operating costs.

Our friends are talking about an annual saving of approximately 120 million liras. Hopefully, it will reach a model that will provide a return on the investment we have made in a short time. In other words, we are offering Istanbulites a form that is at the service of a thrifty model, where we remove high-capacity vehicles in places where we see it is inconvenient for them to go, but at the same time, our citizens will not ask why you removed the voyages."

IS A BOAT APPLAUDED? BY GOD, IT IS APPLAUDED

"Actually, Şehir Hatları is not launching these dolmuşes into the sea for the first time today. Previously, with the contract made with Galataport, we had activated a model that provided continuous earnings to our institution with the cooperation of the processes related to these uses, where Galataport also covered the production costs, by building the Galata 1 and Galata 2 Sea Dolmuşes to support the Galataport process in the form of ring voyages. In the first stage, there will be 7 of these dolmuşes you see. We started in March 2024. We completed the production of 3 Sea Dolmuşes. We have come to the end of the construction phase of the 4th one.

We aim to finish all 7 of these vehicles in September. We are thinking of having the completed sea dolmuşes operate on the İstinye-Küçüksu and Beykoz-Sarıyer lines... The Sea Dolmuş will provide us with a very beautiful visuality but also a very careful service process in this sense. We are slowly launching one of our new vehicles into the Haliç right now, our boat named Haliç-4. Is a boat applauded? By God, it is applauded."

'YOU WILL FOLLOW OUR MARCH TOWARDS A VERY DIFFERENT ERA'

"We will continue all public transportation works. You will see us in subways, you will see us in new generation metrobuses. You will see us in the investments we make in maritime transportation. You will also see the steps we have taken regarding bicycles. You will follow our march towards a very different era in Istanbul's public transportation with Istanbul's innovative, visionary, environmentally friendly, lowest-emission, and sustainable vehicle supplements in many areas. All of these works are being done for an integrated transportation study. We are especially here in Haliç. There is a tram along the Haliç...

Our Hop On Hop Off plans, where we will connect cultural and artistic venues along the Haliç shores by turning this side especially to the Beyoğlu coast with the tram, are also included in these works... In other words, by shuttling back and forth from there, zigzagging, carrying passengers and tourists to tourist areas on both sides, we will ensure that people and our guests visiting Istanbul enjoy it much more.

We also aim for a ring line between Ortaköy-Beylerbeyi-Çengelköy to work in an integrated manner when our rail system lines are opened. We know that the efficiency of sea lines will increase one more time when we bring together all kinds of lines we have launched and will launch in the Bosphorus with sea lines. We wish these steps we have taken to be auspicious for our Istanbul."

DEDETAŞ: IT IS A PLEASURE TO SEE THE RESULTS OF THE PROCESSES WE STARTED

Speaking at the program, former General Manager of Şehir Hatları and new term Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş expressed her feelings with the following sentences: "It is, of course, very pleasing to see the results of the processes we started in this way. I want to underline that the Sea Dolmuşes are a very remarkable project both in terms of their contribution to maritime transportation and their design. It is very pleasing to see that the processes we carried out with rented motors here are prepared with our own produced boats and at a certain level of efficiency, and that this supports savings in the public sector and revitalizes maritime transportation."

FIRST VOYAGE ON MONDAY

The Sea Dolmuşes are planned to start their first voyage on July 15, 2024. The voyages, which will be charged with the normal Şehir Hatları passenger tariff, will be between İstinye and Küçüksu.

PRODUCTION WILL BE COMPLETED IN SEPTEMBER

The production of 7 sea dolmuşes to be used in public transportation voyages began in March 2024 at the Haliç Shipyard. A total team of 65 people worked on the construction of the sea dolmuşes, whose production and design belong entirely to the Haliç Shipyard.

While the production of 3 sea dolmuşes has been completed, the construction works of the 4th one have reached the final stage. The production of the sea dolmuşes will be completed in September. The completed sea dolmuşes are planned to operate on the İstinye-Küçüksu and Beykoz-Sarıyer lines.

APPROXIMATELY 120 MILLION TL ANNUAL SAVINGS

With the use of 7 sea dolmuşes produced to reduce operating costs on voyages with low passenger density, the IMM will save approximately 120 million TL annually with June 2024 data and will provide a return on the investment it made for the sea dolmuşes in a short period of 9 months.

CAPACITY FOR SERIAL SEA DOLMUŞ PRODUCTION

Şehir Hatları had previously produced its first sea dolmuşes for Galataport again under the Haliç Shipyard brand. The sea dolmuşes named "Galata 1" and "Galata 2" continue to make ring voyages to Galataport. With this project, the IMM is actually bringing the shipyard to a capacity to perform serial production in sea dolmuşes after sea taxis.

33-PASSENGER CAPACITY AND ACCESSIBLE FOR THE DISABLED

Produced from composite material using the vacuum infusion method, the sea dolmuşes, which are 11.7 m long, 4.3 m wide, have a service speed of 15 knots and a maximum speed of 25 knots, also have a passenger capacity of 33 and are suitable for disabled access.