By Trend
The military events in Ukraine had a direct impact on world
trade routes. Many countries, including the UK, the US, Canada and
the EU states, have introduced a ban on the entry of ships flying
the Russian flag into their ports.
Turkey did not join the anti-Russian sanctions, continuing to
receive cargo from all directions, which had a positive effect on
the cargo turnover of its ports.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Transport and
Infrastructure, ports of Turkey increased their transshipment of
goods by 6,000 tons from January through April 2022 compared to the
same period last year.
Turkish ports handled 124.9 million tons of cargo from January
through April 2021, including 24.4 million tons of transit
cargo.
Turkish ports handled 130.8 million tons of cargo from January
through April 2022, including 27.7 million tons of transit
cargo.
Despite the growth in the total volume of cargo transportation,
their transshipment by Turkish ports on the Black Sea, which washes
the shores of both Russia and Ukraine, has decreased.
According to the ministry, the largest Turkish port on the Black
Sea, port of Samsun, handled 3.6 million tons of cargo from January
through April 2021.
The port of Samsun handled 3 million tons of cargo from January
through April 2022.
Another major Turkish port, Zonguldak, handled 3.9 million tons
of cargo from January through April 2021. The port of Zonguldak
handled 3.7 million tons of cargo in the same period of 2022.
A total of 3.1 million tons of cargo were transshipped through
the port of Eregli from January through April 2021. This port
handled 2.6 million tons of cargo from January through April
2022.
A similar picture can be seen in the transshipment rates of
smaller Turkish ports.
For example, the port of Bartin handled 664,846 tons of cargo
from January through April 2021. Cargo transshipment by this port
amounted to 564,659 tons for the same period in 2022.
The port of Trabzon handled 555,754 tons of cargo from January
through April 2021. This figure amounted to 381,116 tons from
January through April 2022.
Another port on the Black Sea, port of Hopa handled 92,427 tons
of cargo from January through April 2021. Transshipment decreased
to 41,442 tons from January through April 2022.
The situation with deliveries from the ports of Russia and
Ukraine directly affected the reduction in cargo turnover in the
Black Sea ports of Turkey.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Transport and
Infrastructure, 19.6 million tons of cargo were delivered from
Russia to Turkey in the first quarter of 2021. Transshipment from
Russia amounted to 17.2 million tons of cargo in the first quarter
of 2022.
A total of 4.8 million tons of cargo arrived from Ukraine to
Turkey in 2021. The transshipment of goods from Ukraine amounted to
3.5 million tons in 2022.
At the same time, there is an increase in cargo traffic from
other countries of the Black Sea, two of which – Bulgaria and
Romania – have banned ships from Russia from entering their
ports.
Therefore, 1.08 million tons of cargo arrived in Turkey from
Bulgaria from January through April last year. The transshipment of
goods from Bulgaria through Turkey amounted to 1.2 million tons
from January through April 2022.
A total of 2.2 million tons of cargo arrived in Turkey from
Romania in four months of last year and 2.4 million tons during the
same period of 2022.
Some 696,087 tons of cargo arrived from Georgia to Turkey from
January through April 2021.
Turkish ports handled 799,572 tons of cargo from Georgia from
January through April 2022.
Thereby, even the situation in Ukraine has had a negative impact
on the transshipment of goods by ports of Turkey on the Black
Sea.
Turkish government’s flexible policy has allowed it to increase
the volume of cargo transportation, mainly due to countries that
have stopped trading by the sea with Russia.
It can be assumed that Turkey will maintain the current measured
growth rate of cargo transportation, given the ongoing tension in
the region and the need of Western countries for a trade
intermediary.
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