ISTANBUL 

A total of 41,112 vessels passed through Turkey's Istanbul Strait -- also known as the Bosphorus Strait -- in 2019, according to official data.

The number of vessels using the strait was unchanged with the previous year's figures of 41,103, the country's Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry announced.

A total of 638.9 million gross tons of cargo passed through the strait over the last year, up from 613.08 million gross tons in 2018.

Some 26,632 vessels passed through the Bosphorus Strait with a harbor pilot in 2019.

The strait saw some 317 over 300-meter long vessels during the same period.

General cargo ships had a major share in total traffic with 18,637 vessels, while the number of tankers -- gas, LNG, chemicals and others -- were 8,957.

The construction of Turkey's Canal Istanbul mega-project, with a daily vessel passage capacity of 185, is expected to start in 2020 and complete in 2025-2026.

The planned 45-kilometer (nearly 28-mile) canal to be built west of the city center on the European side of the Istanbul province.

Turkey aims to prevent risks posed by vessels carrying dangerous shipments through the Bosphorus Strait.

The country's other strait, Canakkale, was also passed by 43,759 vessels in the year, down slightly from 43,999.

Some 14,771 general cargo ships and 9,304 tankers passed through Canakkale Strait in the year.