Istanbul Strait Records 19,381 Ship Passages In First Half Of 2025

The Istanbul Strait remained one of the busiest maritime routes in the world during the first half of 2025, with 19,381 vessels recorded between January and June, as per official data from Turkey’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.

These ships carried a combined 291.78 million gross tons of cargo. The figure marked a decline compared to the same period in 2024, when 20,780 vessels transported 368.38 million gross tons.

In earlier years, the strait saw 19,338 ships with 305.95 million gross tons in 2023, and 17,035 vessels carrying 267.76 million gross tons in 2022.

Among the total passages this year, general cargo ships led the list with 7,232 transits, followed by 3,479 bulk carriers. The traffic also included 1,990 container ships, 2,991 tankers of unspecified type, 355 liquefied petroleum gas carriers, 163 Ro-Ro vessels, 483 barges, 274 livestock carriers, 17 cement carriers, 335 passenger ships, two refrigerated vessels, 103 tugboats, 55 vehicle carriers, and 531 vessels of other types.

Additionally, 21 warships passed through the strait, all of them recorded in the second quarter. No naval vessel was logged in the first three months of the year.

Chemical tankers made 1,350 passages, 648 in the first quarter and 702 in the second. Pilotage services were provided to 11,746 vessels during the period to ensure safer navigation.

The ships passing through the strait came in a wide range of sizes. Forty-six vessels measured more than 300 meters in length. Another 855 were between 250 and 300 meters, 1,120 were between 200 and 250 meters, 5,045 measured 150 to 200 meters, 7,190 were 100 to 150 meters long, while 5,125 were under 100 meters.

The strait handled an average of 107 vessels per day in the first half of the year. In terms of monthly numbers:

January: 3,333 ships with 50.58 million gross tons

February: 2,737 ships with 42.19 million gross tons (lowest)

March: 3,281 ships with 48.39 million gross tons

April: 3,229 ships with 47.14 million gross tons

May: 3,463 ships with 51.70 million gross tons

June: 3,338 ships with 51.78 million gross tons (highest)

Despite the drop in traffic compared to last year, the Istanbul Strait remains one of the most strategic waterways worldwide, handling thousands of cargo, tanker, passenger, and naval vessels every year.

References: dailysabah, hurriyetdailynews

Source: Maritime Shipping News