Turkish exporters face logistics crisis in Middle East shipments

Turkish exporters, particularly in the Gaziantep carpet industry, are facing a significant logistics crisis affecting shipments to Middle Eastern and Gulf markets. Due to geopolitical tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the US, maritime routes have become disrupted, forcing exporters to rely on land transport via the Turkey–Syria–Jordan–Saudi Arabia corridor.

İskender Kaplan, Chairman of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) Carpet Sector Board, reported that transit visa delays issued by Saudi Arabia have caused massive truck queues at border crossings. This bottleneck is preventing timely deliveries to Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, and Yemen. The resulting backlog has caused factory warehouses to reach capacity, hindering new production cycles.

Furthermore, shipping costs have surged dramatically. While maritime container costs previously ranged between $1,000 and $1,500, land transport costs have exceeded $10,000 per shipment. Kaplan has called upon the Turkish Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to engage with Saudi Arabian authorities to expedite the transit visa process and restore international competitiveness.