Cerrahgil was established in Ereğli in 1887, relocated to Istanbul in 1921, and incorporated as the first joint stock company in Türkiye’s maritime history in 1954, marking a distinguished legacy in the shipping industry. Cerrahgil Agency stands as one of Türkiye's oldest and most reputable agencies, providing professional services to non-liner vessels transiting the Turkish Straits and all Turkish ports.
At the core of this strong heritage lies the significant contributions and decades of experience of the Cerrahgil family in the maritime sector. With its historical expertise and accumulated knowledge, Cerrahgil’s Agency continues to deliver exceptional services in the industry.
Cerrahgil was the first company to capitalize on Türkiye’s newly liberalized regulations, enabling the financing and insuring of Turkish-flagged vessels abroad. This pioneering spirit positioned Cerrahgil as a leader in the early 1990s, managing the transportation of a significant portion of Türkiye’s grain import and export cargoes.
The founder of Cerrahgil Agency, Esref Cerrahoğlu, served as the President of the Turkish Chamber of Shipping for four years. He was also a member of the Board of Lloyd’s Register of Shipping for eight years and served on BIMCO’s Executive Committee for another eight years. He concluded his tenure as BIMCO’s Vice President during his last two years.
Esref Cerrahoğlu was among the founding members of TURMEPA, a prominent environmental Non-Governmental Organization, where he served as Vice President for eight years. He was also appointed Chairman of the Turkish Maritime Assembly of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB).
In 2010, the group delivered its first newly built vessel, the 81,000 dwt Kamsarmax bulk carrier Cerba, establishing a dedicated vessel operations department under the same name. Its sister ship, Flama, was delivered in 2011.
As of 2025, Cerrahgil & Kınay have made a strategic partnership, Kınay Group, founded in 1946, being an organization operating in 13 countries within international transportation and logistics. This partnership enables the combination of the expertise and experiences of both companies and well-established brand names in the Turkish agency business, further enhancing the strength and capabilities of Cerrahgil and Kınay are making the joint collaboration by far the largest agency network in Türkiye with 7 port offices and currently with over 95 qualified payroll agency operations staff across the entire network.