Maritime Trade Reached a Record Level in 2025
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure announced that the volume of cargo handled at Turkish ports in 2025 reached the highest level in the history of the Republic. The Minister stated that a total of 553,268,303 tons of cargo were handled at the ports, marking a 4% increase compared to the previous year, while container handling rose by 3.5% to 14 million TEU.
Growth in International Cargo Traffic
|
Category |
Volume (tons) |
|
Outbound international cargo |
142,784,002 (0.4%) |
|
Inbound international cargo |
271,632,303 (5.6%) |
|
Total international cargo |
414,416,305 (3.8%) |
Ports Handling the Most Cargo
In 2025, AliaÄźa ranked first among regional port authorities in
terms of total cargo handled.
|
Regional Port
Authority |
Cargo Handled (tons) |
|
AliaÄźa |
89,507,150 |
|
Kocaeli |
83,939,975 |
|
Ä°skenderun |
70,905,737 |
Cargo Breakdown by Type: Significant Increase in Bulk Cargo
In TĂĽrkiye, the distribution of cargo types in 2025 showed:
- Liquid bulk
cargo: 169,714,709 tons (+4.6%)
- Dry bulk
cargo: 160,938,575 tons (+5.7%)
- Cargo
transported in containers: 144,339,527 tons (+0.7%)
- General
cargo: 65,847,587 tons (+6%)
- Ro‑Ro transport: 12,425,500 tons (+4.7%)
Cargo Types with the Largest Increases
The three cargo categories with the highest growth in 2025 were:
|
Cargo Type |
Increase (million
tons) |
|
Hard coal (non‑briquetted) |
4.35 million tons |
|
Crude oil |
3.15 million tons |
|
LNG |
3.08 million tons |
TĂĽrkiye Sends the Most Cargo to Italy, While Russia Leads in Deliveries to Turkey
In 2025, Italy ranked first among the countries receiving the highest volume of export cargo from TĂĽrkiye, with 17,276,832 tons. Italy was followed by the United States with 13,518,965 tons and Egypt with 10,869,420 tons.
During the same period, the country sending the largest volume of cargo to Türkiye was Russia, by a wide margin, with 101,562,166 tons. Russia was followed by the United States with 21,729,680 tons and Egypt with 14,354,073 tons, placing them among Türkiye’s top cargo suppliers.
Total Container Traffic: Reached 14 Million TEU with a 3.5%
Increase
Ports Handling the Most Containers
|
Port |
TEU |
|
Ambarlı |
3,428,048 TEU |
|
Kocaeli |
2,505,678 TEU |
|
TekirdaÄź |
2,138,327 TEU |
These figures indicate that the Marmara Region continues to maintain its central role in Türkiye’s container transportation network.
Outlook for 2026: New Records Ahead
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure stated that they expect
similarly strong performance in 2026, declaring:
“With strategies that prioritize seafarer employment and never compromise on safety, we aim to capture a larger share of global maritime trade.”
These figures clearly show that TĂĽrkiye closed 2025 with strong
performance in maritime trade. The increase in cargo volume, the strengthening
operational capacity of regional ports, and the growth across diverse cargo
types stand out as key elements supporting the sector’s dynamism. The results
present a noteworthy picture that Türkiye’s competitiveness in maritime
transport continues to rise steadily.
With planned investments and operational improvements in 2026, this stable growth trend is expected to continue.
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