SASA’s Celikoglu Rises to Quake Challenge

By Simon West

Uğur Çelikoğlu, new investment logistics lead at Turkish petrochemical producer SASA, relates his on-the-ground experience as his project was rocked by the devastating February 2023 earthquake.

From Issue 2, 2024 of Breakbulk Magazine.


Uğur Çelikoğlu is a man used to working under pressure.

As new investments logistics lead for Türkiye-based SASA, one of Europe’s largest petrochemical producers, Çelikoğlu played a vital role in ensuring the trouble-free delivery of dozens of oversized components – including some of the heaviest project cargo ever carried on Türkiye’s public roads – for a new 1.5 million ton-per-year purified terephthalic acid, or PTA, plant built in the southern city of Adana.

The US$1.3 billion project, expected to start up later this year once final installation and welding work is complete, is part of an ambitious investment drive that SASA has embarked on to boost petrochemical production capacity and local logistics infrastructure.

Turkish heavy-lift specialist Caba Misnak, a division of CJ-ICM Logistics, was brought onboard to transport about 200 out-of-gauge components for the plant, a series of moves that won it an Excellence in Engineering prize at last year’s Heavy Lift Awards.

"These were extremely large units that could not be assembled on site, and which were required to be transported nearly 60 kilometers through city centers, over bridges, and under power cables,” said Çelikoğlu, who previously worked as a project engineer for Misnak in Iraq and, until 2021, heavy transport deputy manager for Türkiye-based Hareket.

The demanding project called for bypass roads to be built and 120 powerlines that supply electricity to 71,000 consumers temporarily shut down. Transport operations were carried out during daylight hours to comply with local health and safety rules.


Disaster Strikes

While dealing with such pressure is part-and-parcel of a successful career in logistics, very little could prepare even the most experienced project professional for the events that unfolded on February 6 last year when a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria. The earthquake, which killed more 55,000 people, was centered close to the city of Kahramanmaras, just 200 kilometers from Çelikoğlu’s home in Adana.

Çelikoğlu’s first thoughts in the immediate aftermath of the disaster were for his family in Adana. To ensure their safety, the executive insisted they move to another city, while he and his colleagues remained in Adana sleeping in tents or in their cars, until they could return safely to their apartments. SASA’s resources were quickly mobilized to assist with the rescue efforts and provide support to emergency workers. Forklifts, trucks, and other heavy-duty equipment normally used to handle cargo were now being deployed to clear rubble and search for survivors. “It was tough, it was stressful, but everybody was helping each other. Because of that, we were able to deal with the situation,” he said.

Knowing his family was safe and that SASA was doing all it could to assist with rescue efforts, Çelikoğlu’s attention turned to the imminent arrival of a shipment of project cargo destined for the PTA project. Because of severe damage to Iskenderun Port, the vessel carrying the units was diverted to Mersin, Türkiye’s main gateway to the Mediterranean Sea and one of the country’s largest handlers of container cargo.

But congestion there meant the ship was unable to dock, and Çelikoğlu and his team – concerned that such costly cargo was sat waiting in open water – found themselves working day and night trying to get the vessel berthed. After a week of tense meetings, the vessel was finally given the all clear to enter Mersin, and the cargo was unloaded safely onto waiting SPMTs.

The overland transport to the construction site caused further headaches, with traffic jams, blockades and fractured roads increasing the transit time from eight to 15 days. “It was chaos and handling all those things while facing the earthquake at the same time was one of the biggest challenges for us,” Çelikoğlu said.

As victims of last year’s disaster continue to rebuild their shattered lives, the focus has shifted towards bolstering resilience and readiness should catastrophe strike again. Like many companies in the region, SASA has since invested heavily in training programs and disaster preparedness initiatives. “We’ve made many improvements and have done exercises if we faced this again. We all now know very well what we need to do. Every day, we are learning and preparing ourselves for another emergency.”


Road to Recovery

According to Çelikoğlu, the task of rebuilding Türkiye’s heavily hit southern region is still ongoing, complicating the movement of project cargoes. Iskenderun Port is operating at just half capacity, while Mersin remains heavily congested. “Roads, railways, and some airports were damaged,” he said. “Repair work is still going on in some parts, so logistics are affected badly. We’re still trying to bind up the wounds.”

After such devastation, a speedy return to normalcy is crucial, and for Çelikoğlu and his colleagues, that means planning for the next phase of SASA’s US$20 billion investment drive in Adana and along Türkiye’s southern coast.

The company has already begun work on its next project – a 2.5 million TEU-capacity greenfield port at the coastal town of Yumurtalik some 50 kilometers south of Adana. The project, currently in its design stage, will comprise general cargo, container, liquid, and roll-on, roll-off terminals, with construction of a first phase slated to begin in 2025.

Parallel to that investment, the company is planning to install an unspecified number of petrochemical plants and an oil refinery directly behind the port area.

“We expect a lot of project cargo to be shipped to the construction site via our own port in Yumurtalik during the installation stage of the petrochemical plants and oil refinery,” Çelikoğlu said. “I think that we have made significant contributions to the presence of project logistics in Türkiye with the investments we are undertaking.”

Last year’s trauma has certainly not dampened Çelikoğlu’s bright outlook for Türkiye’s breakbulk and project sector. According to the executive, Türkiye’s auspicious location is a huge advantage, with companies choosing to open branches along the country’s strategic southern coast to get closer to key markets such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

“It is very useful for forwarders to have this base between the Middle East and Europe, and the government is supporting new investors to open offices and to receive benefits such as credits,” he said. “15 years ago, there were maybe only two or three companies transporting project cargoes. Now, more than 20 companies are involved in heavy transport. They see the great potential we have.”


SASA, a member of the Breakbulk Global Shipper Network, has produced a feature length documentary about the PTA logistics project. Watch the film here: