Türkiye confirms increase in transit fee through strategic waterways

On July 1, 2023, new fees for the passage of ships through the Straits of Istanbul (Bosphorus) and Chanakkale (Dardanelles) came into force.

According to Anadolu, the new tariffs set the level of taxes and fees at $4.42 per tonne per vessel (previously $4.08).

In this regard, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Türkiye Abdulkadir Uraloglu said that according to the presidential decree, the fees for passage through the Turkish straits will be reviewed annually on July 1 automatically.

The head of the Ministry of Transport reminded that originally an average fee of $3,240 was charged per vessel. In 2002, the fee was raised to $16,393, and under the tariff for July 1, 2023, a vessel with a net tonnage of 10,000 tons will be charged $17,760.

The Montreux Convention of 1936 defines the taxes and charges (for the lighthouse, demolition, and sanitary inspection) applicable to ships passing through the Turkish straits without entering.