Starting July 1, Turkey will raise the transit fee for commercial ships moving through the Istanbul and Çanakkale Straits by 8.3 percent. This adjustment was reported by the Turkish daily Aydınlık, with coverage attributed to DEA News. The change is part of ongoing adjustments tied to how strait transit costs are calculated and who bears them for ships that pass through these critical corridors.
The basis for these charges traces back to the Montreux Convention, which governs the regime for ships passing through the Turkish Straits. In practical terms, the base value of the gold franc is used to set the tax and fee coefficients—covering lighthouse services, vessel demolition considerations, and sanitary inspections—for ships that traverse the straits without making a port call. Referring to a decision by the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs within the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the press note indicates that as of July 1, 2023, there has been an 8.3 percent increase in the net tonnage charges applied to merchant ships. The underlying mechanics connect international maritime law with domestic fee schedules, shaping how commercial traffic through this chokepoint is priced for operators and flag states alike.
Industry observers project that Turkey’s revenues from straits transit could reach around 900 million dollars in 2023, reflecting continued demand and the strategic value of the Bosporus and Dardanelles routes for global shipping. This level of income underscores the straits’ role as a critical artery for international trade, especially for energy shipments and bulk commodities that require efficient routing through the region. Analysts note that fee adjustments, while impactful for shipping budgets, are part of a broader effort to balance maritime security, infrastructural upkeep, and sovereign control over routes that connect the Black Sea to global markets. (Source attribution: Turkish maritime authorities and local press reports.)
Turkey had already signaled a pattern of adjusting passage costs in October 2022, when it increased fees charged to merchant vessels transiting the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. The cumulative effect of these moves over recent years has been a conversation across the shipping sector about predictability, cost containment, and the long-term implications for freight rates, vessel scheduling, and route planning. For fleet operators, such changes necessitate timely budgeting, fleet utilization analysis, and close monitoring of official communications from Turkish authorities to avoid unexpected charges that could affect voyage economics. (Attribution: national port and maritime administration statements.)