9,195 ships pass through Türkiye’s Istanbul Strait in 1st quarter of year

A total of 9,195 ships transited Türkiye’s Istanbul Strait, which connects Asia and Europe, in the first three months of the year.

An average of 102 vessels passed daily through the strait during the January-March period, according to data compiled from the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry by Anadolu.

Of the total, 5,792 ships received pilotage services.

In the same period, 3,277 general cargo ships and 1,833 bulk carriers used the Istanbul Strait, along with 451 tankers carrying chemical cargo.

Unlike last year, no ships longer than 300 meters (984 feet) transited the strait during the first three months of the year.

In terms of vessel types, 288 barges, 1,833 bulk carriers, 11 cement ships, 984 container ships, 3,277 general cargo ships, 125 livestock carriers, nine warships, 77 passenger ships, 53 Ro-Ro vessels, 1,511 unspecified tankers, 207 liquefied petroleum gas tankers, 57 tugboats, 30 vehicle carriers, and 282 other types of ships transited the strait.

The total gross tonnage of cargo carried by ships passing through the Istanbul Strait in this period reached 135,182,851 gross tons.

The highest cargo volume was recorded in January with 51,711,485 gross tons, while the lowest was in February with 41,343,780 gross tons.

A total of 3,025 ships transited the strait in January with 42,127,586 gross tons, 2,687 ships in February with 41,343,780 gross tons, and 3,483 ships in March with 51,711,485 gross tons.

The number of ships using the Istanbul Strait decreased compared to the same period last year, when 9,351 vessels transited the strait and carried 141,160,081 gross tons.

In the first three months of 2024, 10,106 ships passed through the Istanbul Strait carrying 157,101,576 gross tons, with 6,275 of them receiving pilotage services, while in the same period of 2023, 9,250 ships carried 149,543,961 gross tons, with 6,217 receiving pilotage services.

* Writing by Merve Berker in Ankara