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Yılmaz: Turkish maritime rises to 11th place, ceasefire in Basra eases evacuations
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, in his speech at the 5th Turkey Maritime Summit, highlighted the international rise of Turkish maritime with figures.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz spoke at the award ceremony of the 5th Turkey Maritime Summit, organized on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Cabotage Law coming into effect. Highlighting the proud journey of Turkish maritime from past to present, Yılmaz celebrated the Cabotage Day of all seafarers.
Reminding that about 90 percent of world trade is carried out by sea, Yılmaz said that Turkey, surrounded by seas on three sides, is in a strategic position at the intersection of Europe, Asia and Africa. Stating that they have seen maritime as a strategic priority in the last 23 years, Yılmaz noted that significant successes have been achieved by strengthening infrastructure.
Yılmaz stressed that Turkey is among the leading maritime countries with 218 port facilities, 65 marinas, 85 active shipyards, 400 fishing shelters, 144,000 seafarers and over 1 million amateur sailors. He announced that the Turkish-owned merchant fleet, which was 17th with 8.9 million deadweight tons in 2002, rose to 11th in the world with 2,234 ships and a capacity of 51.8 million deadweight tons as of 2026.
Stating that 62,656 ships served at ports in 2025, Yılmaz said that the number of cruise ships increased by 15.1 percent compared to the previous year to 1,375, and the number of passengers reached 2.2 million. Saying that the number of marinas was increased to 65 and the mooring capacity to 26,000, Yılmaz reported that nearly 119 million passengers and 9.6 million vehicles were transported on cabotage lines.
Emphasizing that the shipbuilding industry employs 84,000 people and is second in the world in mega yacht construction and the European leader in ship recycling, Yılmaz noted that Turkey ranks 7th in orders and 10th in tonnage.
Saying that they have continued without interruption the special consumption tax-free fuel support initiated in 2004, Yılmaz reported that a total of 21.8 billion lira support has been provided to the sector to date, and 5.3 billion lira in 2025. He also reminded that 65 maritime agreements have been signed with 51 countries and that Turkey was elected to the International Maritime Organization Council for the 14th time with a high vote.
Stating that efforts continue for the safe evacuation of Turkish ships stranded due to the war in the Persian Gulf, Yılmaz said, "Thank God, a consensus has now been reached, a ceasefire has been formed and there is a relative improvement." Expressing that these developments once again show that maritime transportation is the lifeblood of the global economy, Yılmaz drew attention to the importance of alternative routes and connectivity.
Explaining that they made every effort to prevent the war from starting and are now making diplomatic efforts for a lasting peace, Yılmaz expressed his wish, "Hopefully we will not experience those days again." Emphasizing that they have always defended freedom of navigation, Yılmaz noted that they also strongly support international cooperation.
Stating that rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea and Aegean are resolutely protected under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Yılmaz added that they will continue to build a Turkey that strengthens its maritime capacity in all areas. After the speech, the maritime awards were presented to their recipients.
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