Turkish ports set April record in cargo handling

ANKARA

Türkiye’s ports handled 48.2 million tons of cargo and 1.2 million TEUs of containers in April, marking an all-time record for the month, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said.

Container throughput at ports rose 7.6 percent in April compared with the same month last year, Uraloğlu noted.

The minister said cargo shipped from Turkish ports to foreign ports stood at 11.6 million tons in April.

“Cargo arriving at our ports from foreign ports increased 11.1 percent compared with the same month last year to 24.2 million tons. Foreign trade cargo handled by sea rose 8.3 percent year-on-year in April to 35.8 million tons,” he said.

The minister noted that Italy was the top destination for cargo shipped abroad by sea, followed by the United States and Egypt. Russia, meanwhile, accounted for the largest volume of cargo arriving at Turkish ports by sea.

Uraloğlu also said iron ore and concentrates recorded the largest monthly increase among cargo types in April, rising by 498,957 tons from the previous month. Ports handled 1.47 million tons of iron ore and concentrates during the month.

Providing figures for the January-April period, the minister said cargo handled at ports increased 2.1 percent from the same period of 2025 to 185.6 million tons, while container volume rose 2.4 percent to 4.55 million TEUs.