Türkiye aims to bolster maritime authority with major legal overhaul

Türkiye has announced plans for a new law regulating the country’s maritime jurisdiction areas, in what officials describe as a major effort to strengthen Ankara’s legal framework for defending its maritime rights and interests.

This development was revealed on May 14 by Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National defence, as cited by Turkish media. The defence official highlighted that the proposed legislation would serve as a comprehensive framework law governing Türkiye’s maritime authority zones.

“The law is intended to define responsibilities within our maritime jurisdiction areas and eliminate deficiencies in our domestic legal framework,” Aktürk told reporters during a weekly press briefing at the ministry.

According to earlier details about the proposal, the legislation would establish legal mechanisms for defining maritime jurisdiction zones, maritime borders and the scope of activities permitted within those boundaries. The framework would also align Turkish regulations with international legal principles and rulings by international courts.

Aktürk said the defence Ministry had contributed to the draft at military, technical, academic and legal levels, while final revisions continue among various state institutions.

“The Turkish Armed Forces will continue, as always, to resolutely protect our country’s rights and interests in maritime jurisdiction areas,” he added.

The announcement comes amid long-running tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea, where disputes over maritime boundaries, energy exploration rights and sovereignty issues have fueled friction between regional states.

Long path to legal reform

Earlier the same week, the draft maritime law — reportedly in development for more than a decade — was presented publicly during a press conference organized by Ankara University National Research Center for Maritime Law  (DEHUKAM).

The proposed legislation aims to move beyond Türkiye’s existing 1982 Territorial Waters Law No. 2674 by consolidating under a single legal framework issues related to the continental shelf, exclusive economic zones (EEZs), contiguous zones and the protection of marine resources, as Turkish media outlets note.

The draft is expected to be submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye in the near future.

Legal analysts say the proposal reflects a broader transformation in Türkiye’s maritime strategy and legal thinking.

Türkiye remains one of the few major maritime powers that has not signed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, commonly known as UNCLOS. Ankara has long argued that remaining outside the convention provides strategic flexibility and protects its interests in regional maritime disputes.

However, critics say the lack of a comprehensive domestic framework has also created legal ambiguities that complicate Türkiye’s ability to defend its maritime claims internationally.

The new draft law is intended in part to address that challenge by incorporating widely recognized principles of customary international maritime law into Turkish domestic legislation, despite Ankara not being a formal party to UNCLOS.

Supporters argue the move could strengthen Türkiye’s legal position in future negotiations and international disputes over maritime boundaries and energy resources.

By Nazrin Sadigova