Körfez Ulaştırma Supports 2050 Carbon Neutrality Target

Körfez Ulaştırma, a railway subsidiary of Tüpraş, provides uninterrupted 24/7 fuel logistics between Tüpraş refineries while making significant contributions to environmentally friendly transportation with its Eurodual hybrid locomotives.

Since its establishment, Körfez Ulaştırma has prevented emissions equivalent to 145,000 tons of CO₂ compared to road transportation, and in addition to transporting a total of 10.3 million tons of fuel and intermediate products between June 2018 and 2024, it continues its leadership in the private sector through increased fleet investments.

Körfez Ulaştırma, Tüpraş's railway subsidiary in fuel transportation, has passed the six-year mark since it began operations at the end of 2017 by transporting refined products and intermediate products between Kırıkkale-İzmit Refineries with reciprocal trains. Körfez Ulaştırma, which carries fuel between Tüpraş refineries, continues to increase its contribution to reducing road emissions and traffic.

Continuing to expand its logistics operations, Körfez Ulaştırma has operated commercial services uninterrupted since early 2022 with seven dual-fuel locomotives (capable of operating in diesel/electric modes) purchased from Swiss-based Stadler, in addition to its strong maintenance infrastructure. The company has placed an order for two additional Stadler Eurodual model dual-fuel locomotives, aiming to reach a total of 14 locomotives with deliveries planned for the fourth quarter of 2024; nine will be hybrid and five will be diesel locomotives.

"10 million km of train operations equals circling the world 260 times"

Highlighting that the 10 million km of train operations conducted to date is equivalent to circling the world 260 times, Tufan Başarır, General Manager of Körfez Ulaştırma, stated: "As Turkey's first private railway operator, last year we transported 2.2 million tons of fuel and 64,000 tons of iron ore. From June 2018 to June 2024, we continue to add value to the economy and industry by transporting 10.3 million tons of fuel products and intermediate products, maintaining our position as the sector's largest investor. Today we operate with 517 fuel tank cars and 34 platform cars. We have also begun transporting Tüpraş's petroleum coke product on the İzmit-Kırıkkale line. As of June 2024, we have expanded our team to 187 people, comprising 90 locomotive drivers, 47 maintenance personnel, and 50 other employees. Every year we increase our services to the four largest fuel distributors in the market, and we continue our efforts to transfer this business model to other sectors."

"We prevented 145,000 tons of equivalent CO₂ emissions compared to road transportation"

Emphasizing that they bear the responsibility and pride of being Turkey's largest fuel transporter, Tufan Başarır stated that with vehicle investments including the two newly ordered dual-fuel locomotives, they aim to write a new growth story by entering the non-fuel railway transportation segment and new market segments.

Pointing out that they provide environmental and social benefits by reducing tanker traffic on roads, Başarır stated: "Since its establishment, Körfez Ulaştırma has prevented emissions equivalent to 145,000 tons of CO₂ compared to road transportation. In this way, we also contribute to our parent company Tüpraş's goal of becoming a 'leading carbon-neutral energy company by 2050,' and we are working with all our strength for a better future."

"We are taking pioneering steps in women's employment in railways"

Continuing his work on inclusive workplace practices, Başarır noted that they have implemented pioneering applications in women's employment in the sector and added: "Our female operations officers in Kırıkkale and İzmit have started their duties. Female locomotive drivers who completed train driving training will assume field duties in the second quarter of 2025. We have a strategy to systematically increase the rate of women's employment in both office and field staff, and we are advancing decisively toward this goal."

Raising sector standards in wagon maintenance and repairs with ECM-certified workshops

The ECM (Entity in Charge of Maintenance) certified workshops located at Tüpraş's Kırıkkale Refinery, authorized to service railway vehicles in Europe and Turkey, are increasing services provided to other companies in the sector with high-level quality standards. In the most comprehensive wagon maintenance and repair workshops in Turkey, 22 Körfez wagons and 45 wagons from other companies were serviced in 2023. Investments required for wheel assembly activities were completed using domestic capabilities, and 213 wheel sets were prepared last year for Körfez wagons and locomotives; 100 wheel sets were produced under external services. Locomotive servicing and regular maintenance are carried out entirely by company teams together with 48 contractor company employees added to Körfez Ulaştırma. Additionally, 551 wagon tracking devices have been installed as part of the wagon tracking system; deliveries of 30 new white product wagons are targeted for the near future.

Environmentally friendly transportation aligned with Tüpraş's 2050 carbon neutral targets

Körfez Ulaştırma aims to reduce the intensity of Scope 1 emissions from its operations by 45 percent by 2030 compared to the 2019 baseline year, in line with its parent company Tüpraş's "Carbon Neutral 2050" targets. In this context, Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions between 2018 and 2023 were verified by an accredited organization in accordance with ISO 14064-1 standard. Thanks to railway transportation, the emissions generated when transporting 1 ton of cargo 1 km by road are reduced to one-quarter with diesel locomotives and one-eighth with electric locomotives.