Evaluation of Ship Profiles in Istanbul Port Region with Two-Stage Clustering Analysis

The increase in industrial production and thus world trade has also increased the significance of the maritime sector further. Ports are of strategic importance as trade points in this sector. Strategies for reducing maritime transport costs and waiting-periods for the ships in ports cause increased competition between ports. Clustering theory focuses on the industries of certain regions defined as industrial zones. Most of the research on the maritime industry focuses primarily on its structure and economic impacts on national economies, without providing detailed information on particular economic and technological activities at the regional level. However, successful clusters are seen as means for regional and national growth. In this context, a two-stage clustering analysis was conducted, considering the different characteristics of the ship profiles that visited the area covering three administrative ports (Ambarli, Tuzla, Istanbul) of the Istanbul Port Region. The clustering was made according to the type and flags of the ships that visited Istanbul Port Region, the ports they visited and the length of stay in the ports they visited. The clustering characteristics of the Istanbul Port Region were extracted with regard to the ship profiles.