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UN Ro-Ro Isletmeleri A.S. has begun trips between Istanbul's Pendik port and Constanta, Romania with an official ceremony held in Istanbul on Friday with the participation of Turkish Minister of Transportation, Maritime and Communication Binali Yildirim.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Yildirim said that he wanted to congratulate the UN Ro-Ro Isletmeleri for establishing ferry lines between Istanbul and Constanta.

The Ro-Ro lines between Pendik and Constanta is no doubt one that is environment friendly, economic and superior to others, Yildirim underlined.

Turkey's foreign trade is being conducted mostly via sea routes. Transportation by road and railways follow maritime trade, Yildirim said.

Also speaking at the inauguration ceremony, UN Ro-Ro's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sedat Gumusoglu said that there would be three scheduled trips between Pendik and Constanta in a week.

"We have a capacity to carry 30,000 vehicles in a year between Pendik and Constanta. The Ro-Ro trips between Pendik and Constanta will bring down costs of Turkish exporters," Gumusoglu also said.

U.N Ro-Ro Isletmeleri A.S. was established by international transport companies in 1994 and it has become one of the fastest growing freight Ro-Ro operators in the Mediterranean region and the world. U.N Ro-Ro aimed to provide an alternative mode of transport to the land route where Turkish transport companies have faced many difficulties especially in Eastern Europe and in the Balkans. Today U.N Ro-Ro continues to serve international transport companies with a low-cost, fast, reliable and a safe sea journey.

Throughout the years, U.N Ro-Ro transformed into a group of companies with 200 international transport companies as partners whom financed the company and helped U.N Ro-Ro expand its fleet. In December 2007 U.N Ro-Ro-s and its subsidiary companies- majority shares and management were transferred to an international investment fund, Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts (KKR).

After December 2007 U.N Ro-Ro continued to grow with KKR and expanded its fleet to 13 Ro-Ro vessels (approximately 47 km lanemeter). U.N Ro-Ro launched new Ro-Ro lines, Mersin-Trieste and Istanbul-Toulon and continues to support international transport companies, importers and exporters in Turkey and in the region.

AA