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A total of 9,195 ships passed through Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait, which connects Asia and Europe, during the first three months of this year.
During the January-March period, 3,277 general cargo ships and 1,833 bulk carriers used the strategic waterway.
Of the 9,195 ships that transited the Bosphorus, 5,792 received pilotage services.
Unlike last year, no vessels longer than 300 meters passed through the strait during the first quarter of the year.
Among the vessels using the Bosphorus, 370 were between 250 and 300 meters long, 593 were between 200 and 250 meters, 2,416 were between 150 and 200 meters, 3,306 were between 100 and 150 meters, and 2,510 were shorter than 100 meters.
A total of 451 tankers carrying chemical cargo also passed through the Bosphorus during the same period.
According to data compiled by Anadolu Agency from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, traffic through the strait included 288 barges, 984 container 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 vessels of other types.
The total gross tonnage of vessels transiting the Bosphorus during the first quarter reached 135,182,851 gross tons.
The lowest monthly cargo traffic was recorded in February, when ships totaling 41,343,780 gross tons passed through the strait.
The highest cargo volume was recorded in January, when vessels carrying a total of 51,711,485 gross tons used the Bosphorus.
In January, 3,025 ships with a total weight of 42,127,586 gross tons transited the strait, while 2,687 ships weighing 41,343,780 gross tons passed through in February. In March, 3,483 ships carrying 51,711,485 gross tons used the waterway.
An average of 102 ships passed through the Bosphorus each day during the period.
The number of ships using the Bosphorus declined compared to the same period last year.
A total of 9,351 ships used the strait in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 9,195 this year.
Last year, vessels carrying a total of 141,160,081 gross tons passed through the Bosphorus during the same period.
In the first quarter of 2024, 10,106 ships carrying 157,101,576 gross tons of cargo used the Bosphorus, with 6,275 of those vessels receiving pilotage services.
In the same period of 2023, 9,250 ships carrying 149,543,961 gross tons of cargo transited the strait, while 6,217 received pilotage services.
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