Turkish ports set a record with 43.88 million tons of cargo in February, led by Aliağa, as container volumes surged by 13.9%.
It was reported that 43 million 881 thousand 863 tons of cargo were handled in the ports last month, breaking the all-time record for the month of February.
Minister Uraloğlu stated that they continue to work to increase Turkey's share in maritime trade, saying, 'By handling 43 million 881 thousand 863 tons of cargo in our ports, we broke the all-time record for the month of February. The total amount of cargo handled in our ports during the January-February period reached 88 million 343 thousand 147 tons.'
Uraloğlu noted that the number of containers reached 1 million 157 thousand 303 TEU, the highest figure for February since 2024, highlighting that this represents a 13.9% increase compared to the same month last year.
Minister Uraloğlu reported that 2 million 238 thousand 224 TEUs of containers were handled during the January-February period, marking a 3% increase compared to the same period last year.
Indicating that the amount of cargo going from the ports to foreign ports in February was 10 million 542 thousand 469 tons, Uraloğlu used the following statements:
'The amount of cargo arriving at our ports from foreign ports increased by 8.5% compared to the same month last year, reaching 22 million 117 thousand 589 tons. In February, foreign cargo transport increased by 6% compared to the same month last year, amounting to 32 million 660 thousand 58 tons.'
Aliağa Regional Port Authority at the Top
Uraloğlu conveyed that the highest cargo handling in February among regional port authorities occurred in the ports operating within the administrative boundaries of Aliağa Regional Port Authority, with 7 million 349 thousand 150 tons of cargo, followed by Kocaeli Regional Port Authority with 6 million 567 thousand 67 tons and İskenderun Regional Port Authority with 5 million 348 thousand 953 tons.
Emphasizing that the transit cargo transport by sea in the ports amounted to 5 million 561 thousand 761 tons in February, Uraloğlu reported that the amount of cargo transported in cabotage was 5 million 660 thousand 44 tons.
Uraloğlu noted that the type of cargo that showed the most significant increase in February, with an increase of 441 thousand 407 tons compared to the previous month, was 40-foot full containers, stating that 6 million 949 thousand 461 tons of 40-foot full containers were handled in the ports.
In February, Uraloğlu shared that Portland cement was the most transported type of cargo by ships going abroad from the ports, with 980 thousand 160 tons, and he used the following statements:
'This type of cargo was followed by aluminum ore and concentrates, as well as feldspar cargo types. Crude oil ranked first among the transported cargoes on ships arriving at our ports from abroad, with 2 million 581 thousand 661 tons. This was followed by LNG and coal (unbricked) cargo types. The highest volume of cargo loading for outbound transport by sea was carried out to Italy, followed by shipments to the USA and Egypt. Additionally, the highest volume of cargo arriving at the ports by sea was from shipments made from Russia.'
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
