From July 1, Turkey increases the fee for the passage of ships through the Bosporus and Dardanelles by more than 8%, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu said. His words are quoted by the Star newspaper.
The fee will be increased to $4.42 per ton. In October last year, the Turkish authorities have already increased the cost of fees for the passage of merchant ships through the straits five times – from $0.8 to $4.08. The amount of duties is calculated on the basis of the gold franc since the signing in 1936 of the Montreux Convention, which regulates navigation in the straits.
Uraloglu noted that according to the Convention, ships that will pass through the Turkish straits without calling will be charged on three items: sanitary inspection, lighthouse and rescue services. “According to the presidential decree, we will now update these prices every year,” he said.
The Montreux Convention was adopted in 1936. It retains freedom of movement for merchant ships through the straits in peacetime and wartime, but establishes different navigation regimes.
In wartime, Turkey has additional powers to regulate passage through the straits. Ankara can ban any country from using the straits if it considers it a threat to regional or its own security.
On June 5, the decision of the Turkish authorities to increase the fee was reported by the newspaper Aydinlik. This should bring additional funds to the country’s treasury. “Thus, approximately $160-170 million in cross-strait revenue, excluding pilotage and towing services in previous years, is expected to reach $900 million this year,” the publication said.