Turkish ports handle record cargo as trade expands

By News Centre

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uralo?lu announced that 43,881,863 tons of cargo were handled at ports last month, breaking the all-time record for February.

Uralo?lu issued a written statement regarding the February statistics prepared by the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs.

Emphasizing that they continue efforts to increase Turkiye’s share in maritime trade, Uralo?lu said:

“By handling 43,881,863 tons of cargo at our ports, we broke the all-time record for February. In the January–February period, the total amount of cargo handled at our ports reached 88,343,147 tons.”

He noted that container volume reached 1,157,303 TEU, marking the highest February figure since 2024, which represented a 13.9% increase compared to the same month last year.

Uralo?lu reported that in the January–February period, 2,238,224 TEU containers were handled, a 3% increase compared to the same period last year. He pointed out that in February, the amount of cargo shipped from Turkish ports to foreign ports was 10,542,469 tons.

He added:

“The amount of cargo arriving at our ports from foreign ports increased by 8.5% compared to the same month last year, reaching 22,117,589 tons. In February, international cargo transport rose by 6% compared to the same month last year, totaling 32,660,058 tons.”

According to Uralo?lu, the highest cargo handling in February was recorded at port facilities operating within the administrative boundaries of the Alia?a Regional Port Authority, with 7,349,150 tons. This was followed by Kocaeli Regional Port Authority with 6,567,067 tons and ?skenderun Regional Port Authority with 5,348,953 tons.

He underlined that transit cargo transported by sea in February amounted to 5,561,761 tons, while cabotage cargo reached 5,660,044 tons.

Uralo?lu stated that, by cargo type, the greatest increase compared to the previous month was in 40-foot full containers, which rose by 441,407 tons. A total of 6,949,461 tons of 40-foot full containers were handled at ports.

He also shared that Portland cement was the most exported cargo type in February, with 980,160 tons shipped abroad. He continued:

“This was followed by aluminum ore and concentrates, and feldspar. Crude oil ranked first among imports, with 2,581,661 tons arriving at our ports from abroad. This was followed by LNG and hard coal (non-briquetted). In terms of exports by sea, the largest shipments were made to Italy, followed by the USA and Egypt. As for imports, the largest volume of cargo arriving by sea came from Russia.”