Setur Marinas Antalya, which has made a great contribution to the spread of yachting to the Mediterranean, which started in the Aegean in our country, occupies an important place in our marina history with the names it has trained as well as the firsts it has achieved in marina living areas and land parking.

The story of Antalya Setur Marina dates back to 1966, 25 years before its first opening in 1991, when the construction of Antalya's first commercial port began. Operated under the Ports Department of the Turkish Maritime Bank TAO, as it was then called, the Antalya Port Authority quietly began carrying out its operations after a long period of construction work, before it was fully completed. In 1974, the first cargo ships began to be seen at the port.

In 1984, Antalya Kaleiçi Marina and the following year Kemer Marina became operational and yachting in Turkey took its first steps towards the Gulf of Antalya. Thanks to these facilities operated by Turban, foreign yachtsmen started to show interest in the region. Thus, ideas sprout for the construction of the first marina in Antalya.

At that time, the large motor basin, which was used as a fishing harbor in Antalya harbor but was economically inefficient, was considered to be used as a marina. Following preliminary studies under the coordination of the Port Director, a tender was announced in 1990.

Setur Marinas was awarded the tender held under the "build-operate-transfer" model with the highest bid and investment plans. The 8-year tender lease period was extended to 11 years on the condition that a dock is built for the fishing boats leaving the basin.

As a result of the work carried out, Setur Marinas Antalya began to serve with a 32,000 m2 sea area and a 64,000 m2 land area with a capacity of 150 yachts and the possibility of mooring 235 yachts. The marina has three floating piers, each 100 meters long, a fuel station and a 60-ton capacity travel lift. Thus, Setur Marinas has completed its second marina operation after its first marina in Çeşme Altınyunus.

The interior design of Ship Inn, located on the seafront of the marina and still one of Antalya's favorite restaurants, was personally guided by Mr. Rahmi M. Koç and shaped by bringing accessories from his private collection.

A tradition kept alive in the Caribbean islands by foreign yacht owners living on their boats was first started on the coasts of our country at Antalya Marina. The first of the Port Hole clubs, social meeting centers run by yachtsmen on behalf of yachtsmen on a non-profit basis, was opened at Antalya Marina in 1992.

In its second year, Antalya Marina reached full occupancy, and in its third year, it leased 60,000 m2 of land belonging to the Directorate of National Real Estate, providing a land parking area where approximately 600 yachts can be accommodated and serviced on land. The Marina now has the necessary yacht parking area and expert staff to become a major yacht maintenance center on the Turkish coast.

In 1998, the entire port of Antalya was privatized and a company called Ortadoğu Antalya Liman İşletmeleri won the privatization tender for 28 years. After a few years, the company acquired the rights to operate both the commercial port, cruise port and marina port, and was transferred to the SDIF. On October 30, 2006, the company's shares were acquired by a group consisting of Çelebi Yatırım Danışmanlık ve İşletme A.Ş., Global Liman İşletmeleri A.Ş. and Antmarin İnşaat Turizm ve Ticaret A.Ş. through a tender held by the SDIF and the operation of the port was transferred to this group for 22 years. In 2007, the new group announced a tender for the operation of the marina only, but the tender was not finalized. In the end, the operation of the marina was allocated to Çelebi Yatırım Danışmanlık ve İşletme A.Ş., a partner of the group.

During this period, the marina was redesigned within the framework of a master plan and all infrastructure and superstructure, including floating docks, general service boards, service buildings and landscaping were renewed, a swimming pool and playgrounds were added. New lifts were purchased. In 2012, a maintenance hangar for mega yachts was built. At the end of all these works, the marina was awarded 5 Golden Anchors by TYHA (The Yacht Harbor Association) and started operating at international standards.

In 2013, when Çelebi exited the marina business and transferred all its shares along with Antmarin to Global, Setur Marinas signed a new agreement with Global and started operating the marina again.

In addition to its great contribution to yacht tourism, Setur Marinas Antalya has been an important training center for Turkish mariners and has served as a school for many marina managers. Today, many of the names who hold important positions in the marina sector, marina managers, technical managers and consultants in this field have somehow passed through Antalya marinas, and continue to do so. These names continue to make important contributions to our seafaring and maritime industry.

Setur Marinas Antalya, with its proximity to Antalya Airport, its safe, well-maintained and international standard operation and experienced staff, continues to be a popular destination for many local and foreign yachtsmen with high customer satisfaction.

We would like to thank Mr. Hasan Kaçmaz for his valuable contribution to the preparation of this article.