LATEST PICTURES SEPT '07 
Didim Marina
A TANTALISING view of the Aegean’s newest $50 million marina which is set to dominate the Didim coastline has been unveiled for the first time.
As the exciting plans for the 287,000 m2 marina were released, it was announced that three Government ministers will attend an offical ground-breaking ceremony at the site, between Third Beach and the Parlementerler Sitesi, this Thursday (Feb 22) at 11 am.
The layout of Didim D-Marina, which is scheduled to be open in summer 2009, reveals for the first time the extent of a new 'hub of life' on the 70 acre site.
Voices is the first English - language newspaper in Turkey to publish the plans.
The marina will have a yatch club, heliport for the rich and famous to land helicopters direct on the site, a capacity for 623 berthed yatchs and 600 yatchs in dry dock, a yacht lift for 300 and 100 tonnes, and a swimming pool.
The marina will serve mainly yatchs of 75 - 150 metres long, such as mega-yatchs which are increasingly in popularity on the Aegean and east Mediterannean seaboard.
There will be also shopping centre, supermarkets, yacht equipment shops, a fitness centre and a sports facilities, banks, a petrol station, restaurants and a cultural centre.
The marina will also crucially have ferryboat management for cruises to the Greek islands of Kalimnos, Kos and Leros, as well a customs post, pot authority facilities, a passport control unit.
Didim D-Marina is being built on a build-operate-transfer for 25 years by Doğuş Group, one of Turkey's leading construction companies.
This Thursday's groundbreaking ceremony will be attended by Minister of Transport Binali Yıldrım, Minister of Culture and Tourism Atilla Koç, Secretary of State Kürşat Tüzmen, as well as Doğuş Holding Executive Ferit Şahenk and Vice Chairwoman Filiz Şahenk. AN OFFICIAL ground-breaking ceremony for Didim Marina was launched this week with the aid of Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım.His visit, seen as one of the most important for a generation, helped to underline the importance of the 52 million dollar project which he saıd be the key to providing a 12-month tourism economy for Altınkum and the rest of the resort. | |
Minister Yıldırım, who attended the ceremony on Thursday (Feb 22), said the marina, located between Third Beach and the Parlementerler Sitesi, would become the “undoubted shining star” of the Aegean and the Mediterannean seas.
The ceremony was also attended by marina builder’s Doğuş’ Chief Executive Ferit Şahenk and Vice Chairwoman Filiz Şahenk, as well as Aydin governor Mustafa Malay and Didim Mayor Mümin Kamacı.
To coinicide with the event, Doğuş unveiled a layout of the $52 million, 287,000 m² marina which it is hoped will be open by summer 2009.
The marina will have a yacht club, heliport for the rich and famous to land helicopters direct on the site, a capacity for 623 berthed yachts and 600 yachts in dry dock, a yacht lift for 300 and 100 tonnes, and a swimming pool.
The marina will serve mainly yachts of 75-150 metres long, such as mega-yachts which are increasingly in popularity on the Aegean and east Mediterannean seaboard. |
There will also be a shopping centre, supermarkets, yacht equipment shops, a fitness centre and sports facilities, banks, a petrol station, restaurants and a cultural centre.
The marina will also crucially have ferryboat management for cruises to the Greek islands of Kalimnos, Kos and Leros, as well as a customs post, port authority facilities, a passport control unit.
Didim D-Marina is being built on a build-operate-transfer model for 25 years by Doğuş Group, one of Turkey’s leading construction companies.
Minister of Transport Binali Yıldırım said: “After the marina is built, I believe it will bring tourism to Didim all year round. It will be seen as the shining star of the Aegean and the Mediterannean.”
Doğuş’ Chief Executive Ferit Şahenk added that with his company’s overall investment in marinas in Turkey reaching $200 million, he believed that Didim marina would bring extra new business to the area.
He added that yachtsmen would be keen to use the marina as it was on the Cesme, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Datca and Marmaris routes, while ferry boats from the Greek islands of Kos, samos, Kalimnos, Leros and Patmos would be an added draw.
Mayor of Didim Mümin Kamacı said the marina will be an important investment for the country in general and will revive the regional economy. Development began four months and is widely seen to be on schedule. 
Marina development sails on Gökhan Özerk, the construction supervisor of Doğuş Group, said that he had been delighted with progress on a number of fronts, including the construction of the main breakwater and the slipway for yachts, while dormitories for workers were nearly complete.
He said that 50 workers were on duty around the clock, together with 10 trucks, 4 scoops and 2 bulldozers.
He said dynamiting, under the supervision of the gendarme, would continue to break the rocks up as the area needed to be levelled.
He added: “Presently we have not come across any problems and I am more than delighted with our progress so far.”
The multi-million dollar project will realise a capacity of 555 yachts and various facilities to make the marina one of the best in the Aegean. The project should take 30 months. 
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