A new intermodal line is about to start connecting Europe to Turkey via Constanta.

DFDS Seaways’ Ro-Pax vessel, Vilnius Seaways, had departed from Constanta Port to Istanbul as a trial shipment. The vessel was loaded with Omsan’s Dacia cars, Transfesa’s 45’ boxes and Ekol’s trailers.

The project is leaded by Esber Horasan, the General Manager of Alternative Transport, who was also the leader of Ekol’s intermodal line from Turkey to Germany via Trieste.

This intermodal line may be a strong alternative to truck and rail traffic between East Europe and Turkey, including swapbody and car trains.

Some of the intermodal services are bypassing Balkan region for a long time which is cost, time and trouble-saving. Istanbul’s being far away from railway terminals and high cost of passing to Asian side by rail ferry are other reasons for intermodal operators to choose sea connection rather than direct rail connection to Turkey.

The service is planned to start as from Jaunuary with a regular service of 2 times a week.

A similar traffic had started in 2014 with the Romanian intermodal operator Global Multimodal, also with the loads of Tranfesa’s swapbodies, but could last only a few months.