Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, said that container handling at the country’s ports increased by 14.5% in July 2025 compared to the same month last year, reaching 1,259,801 TEUs, according to the statement on the portal of the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
He stated that July 2025 marked the highest monthly container loading from Turkish ports to ships in the country’s history, with 634,879 TEUs.
According to data from the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs (DGM), container handling in the January–July period totaled 8,273,352 TEUs, up 5% from the same period last year.
Total cargo handling at ports in July 2025 reached 47,679,802 tons, while the January–July total was 322,818,212 tons.
Cargo shipments from Turkish ports to foreign ports in July amounted to 12,493,192 tons, up 5% year-on-year, and incoming cargo from foreign ports totaled 23,098,434 tons, an increase of 13.5%.
Overall, international cargo transport by sea in July was 35,591,626 tons, up 10.4%. In July, the highest cargo throughput among regional port authorities was recorded within the jurisdiction of Kocaeli Port Authority, with 7,664,573 tons, followed by Aliağa Port Authority with 7,658,237 tons, and İskenderun Port Authority with 6,178,076 tons.
Transit cargo by sea in July totaled 5,529,163 tons, while cabotage cargo was 6,559,013 tons. The largest month-on-month increase in cargo type was in non-agglomerated coal, up by 1,373,291 tons, with total handling of 3,235,769 tons.
Portland cement was the most exported cargo type in July, with 1,086,916 tons shipped abroad, followed by clinker and fuel oil.
Non-agglomerated coal was the largest import cargo type, with 3,097,668 tons received from abroad, followed by crude oil and scrap iron.
Italy was the main destination for cargo shipped from Turkey by sea in July, followed by the United States and Spain. Russia was the largest source of cargo arriving by sea to Turkish ports.
Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Turkey is a central government ministry responsible for developing and overseeing transportation, communications, and infrastructure policy in Turkey. Its duties include regulating maritime, rail, road, and air transport, as well as overseeing major infrastructure projects.
Directorate General of Maritime Affairs (DGM) is a subordinate institution under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey, tasked with regulating and supervising maritime transport, port operations, and navigation safety, as well as collecting and publishing maritime statistics.