Turkish Straits Traffic Soars with Nearly 41,000 Ships

(MENAFN) The Turkish Straits saw a massive influx of maritime traffic during the first half of 2025, with a total of 40,988 ships navigating these crucial waterways, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu revealed to media.

“In January-June, some 19,381 ships passed through the Istanbul Strait, while some 21,607 ships transited via the Canakkale Strait,” Uraloglu stated, underscoring the strategic importance of these waterways.

The Turkish Straits — comprising the Istanbul and Canakkale Straits — serve as pivotal maritime corridors linking Asia and Europe, making them among the world’s most vital trade routes.

According to the minister, the vessel composition included 14,027 general cargo ships and 7,278 bulk carriers, alongside 5,294 container vessels, collectively transporting 754.6 million gross tons of cargo.

Ship calls at Turkish ports also remained robust, reaching 29,444 during this period. Of these, 9,880 flew the Turkish flag, while 19,564 were foreign-flagged, moving a combined gross cargo volume of 463.8 million tons.

Kocaeli province in northwestern Türkiye led the nation in port visits, logging 4,564 ship calls — 1,295 domestic and 3,269 foreign-flagged vessels.

Following Kocaeli, the Aegean’s Aliaga port registered 2,240 foreign and 835 Turkish ships. Iskenderun port on the eastern Mediterranean recorded 1,788 foreign vessels, while southern Türkiye’s Mersin port welcomed 1,631 foreign-flagged ships.

Meanwhile, the northwestern Ambarli port handled 800 Turkish-flagged ships, and Marmara port saw 734 domestic vessels during the first six months of the year.

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