Corporate

Biography of the Port

The first loading-unloading services in Samsun Port were performed by Fishers Association from "Park Pier" belonging to local government, and "Gaz, Zahire, Markopala, Gumruk, Yolcu, Un and Tutun Piers" 6 of which belong to the municipality. These piers were assigned to General Directorate of State Ports Management of the era on 06.01.1944 and transferred to General Directorate of State Railways and Ports on the same date.
Operation of the Port was transferred back to General Directorate of State Ports Management on 29.01.1944 and transferred to General Directorate of State Railways and Ports on the same date. By this General Directorate, marine transport vessels with and without machines (the boats used in the Black Sea – barges – traction motor) located in the port were obtained and actual operation of the port by the General Directorate started on 01.03.1944.

The port was transferred to Republic of Turkey State Railways Directorate with Law no. 6186 which entered into force on 29.07.1953 and it is still operated by this directorate.
The most serious attempts at the construction of Samsun Port started in 1910 by having an English Consultancy Engineering Organization prepare Studies and Projects. The projects were completed in 1912, but due to the beginning of World War 1, the attempt could not be realized.

Several steps were taken regarding construction of Samsun Port among the development movement which started with the Republic and although laws were enacted which allow construction, applications could not be conducted.

The port remained an open anchorage berth until 1953. However, the increasing cargo traffic in this coastal town which connects Eastern Black Sea Region with Central Anatolia necessitated the construction of a port. Actual phase started when 12,5 million dollars of loan was taken from international banks in the beginning of 1953 for conducting the project of 5 Turkish ports.

The construction of the port was tendered to Rar-Philippe-Hezman Heohtiet engineering company, which is a German Cooperation Organization, on 27.07.1953 and contract started on September 3rd 1953.

While the construction of the port continued, in 1963, 10 electrical cranes with 40 ton capacity were installed on the pier with 776 m area. Again in 1963, 2 conveyor cranes were installed. Moreover, in 1965, conveyor facility was constructed in order to load dry bulk cargo such as iron ore. Later, 2 electrical cranes with 5 ton capacity were added on the pier with 776 m area. In 1990, upon the completion of the construction of Sanayi Rihtimi (Industrial Pier), 5 STFA electronic cranes with a total capacity of 70 tons were commissioned.

HISTORY OF SAMSUN
The region was established around 2000 BC as a Hittite settlement. HITTITES settled between deltas of Kızilirmak and Yesilirmak (Mert River).
Later, in 7th century BC, Samsun was founded as a coastal city with the name AMISSOS by IONIAN NATIONS. The region invaded by the CIMMERIANS coming from Cuacausus was dominated by the PERSIANS in 6th century BC.
In 4th century BC, when ALEXANDER THE GREAT conquered whole Anatolia for the MACEDONIAN EMPIRE, domination of the Persians in the region temporarily ended. After ALEXANDER THE GREAT, GREEK PONTUS STATE dominated all Northern Black Sea region. In the 1st century BC the region was invaded by the ROMANS. With the division of ROME in 935 AD, it was dominated by ANATOLIAN EASTERN BYZANTINE EMPIRE. Samsun became an important episcopalism center in 6th century AD during the reign of Emperor Justinionus.
After Malazgirt Victory in 1071, Samsun entered the dominance of Turks during the reign of SULEYMAN SHAH son of KUTALMISH. But after the 1st Crusade, Samsun was lost. After the 4th Crusade, PONTUS EMPIRE, the capital of which was Trabzon, was established, Samsun was connected here. In the first half of the 13th century, SULTAN KAYKAUS and his brother ALAADDIN KAYQUBAD reclaimed Samsun and Sinop.


In this period Samsun is examined in two parts;

1-Samsun belonging to the Muslim Turks
2-Genoa Trade Site (Samsun, in which non-Muslims live)
Modern Samsun is the Muslim Samsun dominated by Turks. Muslim Samsun became the capital of CANİK BEYLIC with the fall of Seljuk Dynasty in the last years of 13th century. In 1414 it was reclaimed by SULTAN MEHMED CELEBI for OTTOMAN Rule.

Samsun was mapped with the name CANIK in 1427 for the first time. Samsun which was connected to SİVAS GOVERNORATE with the name of CANIK DISTRICT was later connected to Trabzon city after the Reorganization. The city which was completely burned down in a fire in 1869 was reestablished on the plan created by an engineer brought from Switzerland.

Due to renaming the districts to cities in the Republic Era, the name of Canik was changed to Samsun. GAZI MUSTAFA KEMAL's arrival in Samsun on May 19th 1919 and start of Turkish War of Independence from here ensured Samsun to have a privileged status in the History of Republic.