Türkiye increases fees for transit of merchant ships through Bosphorus and Dardanelles

The fee for the passage of foreign merchant ships through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits has been increased from July 1 to $5.07 for the so-called net tonnage (net ton), while the fee introduced a year earlier was $4.42, Report informs.

The corresponding decision was made by the Ministry of Transport of Türkiye.

The document notes that the tariff increase is planned.

Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said earlier that the revision of the fee amount is carried out on the basis of a decree of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dated October 7, 2022.

According to the Montreux Convention, signed in 1936 and regulating navigation in the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, non-stop transit of merchant ships through them is subject to fees for medical control, lighthouse and ship evacuation services.

Dues since 1983 have been calculated on a gold franc basis and amounted to $0.80 per net tonnage of the vessel. In October 2022, this procedure was changed and the tariff was increased to $4.08.