Türkiye’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, announced that ports across the country handled 46,863,236 tons of cargo in November, marking the highest figure ever recorded for the month of November.
In his statement regarding the November 2025 maritime statistics prepared by the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs, Uraloğlu emphasized ongoing efforts to increase Türkiye’s share in global maritime trade.
“Cargo handled at our ports in November increased by 7.8% compared to the same month last year, reaching 46.86 million tons. This marks an all-time record among November figures,” he said. “During the January–November period, total cargo throughput at our ports rose to 503,413,154 tons.”
Container Throughput Also Increased
Uraloğlu reported that container handling at ports also showed growth. Container volume rose by 1.5% year-on-year in November to 1,144,131 TEU, while the figure for the first 11 months of the year increased by 3.2% to 12,822,997 TEU.
International Cargo Movements Up 5.5%
The minister stated that outbound cargo shipped from Turkish ports to overseas destinations reached 11,271,195 tons in November, while inbound foreign cargo totaled 22,996,485 tons.
International cargo movements overall increased by 5.5%, reaching 34,267,680 tons.
Aliağa, Kocaeli, and İskenderun Lead in Cargo Handling
Among regional port authorities, Aliağa recorded the highest cargo throughput in November with 7,387,879 tons. It was followed by:
- Kocaeli Regional Port Authority – 6,779,262 tons
- İskenderun Regional Port Authority – 5,505,421 tons
Transit cargo transported by sea amounted to 6,231,099 tons, while cabotage cargo handling reached 6,364,457 tons.
Largest Cargo Increase in LNG
According to Uraloğlu, LNG (liquefied natural gas) recorded the biggest month-on-month increase among cargo types, rising by 892,627 tons. A total of 1,358,562 tons of LNG was handled at ports in November.
Portland cement was the most exported cargo by volume, with 972,366 tons shipped abroad. It was followed by clinker and feldspar.
On the import side, unbriquetted hard coal topped the list with 2,816,275 tons handled at Turkish ports, followed by crude oil and scrap iron.
Most Exports to Italy, Most Imports from Russia
Uraloğlu noted that Italy was the top destination for cargo shipped from Turkish ports in November, followed by the United States and Egypt.
Russia remained the largest source of incoming maritime cargo, recording the highest inbound tonnage among foreign trade partners.
Source: Patronlar Dünyası/ Prepared by: İlayda Gök