Passage fees for ships through Turkish straits to be increased

ISTANBUL

Transit fees for international vessels passing through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits will be increased by 15 percent to $5.83 per ton, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdülkadir Uraloğlu has announced.

The new fees will take effect as of July 1, the minister said, noting that the fees have been reviewed annually based on the presidential decree issued in 2022.

The Montreux Convention grants Türkiye the right to set the passage fees, Uraloğlu reminded.

The passage fee for international vessels had not been changed at $0.8 for 39 years before 2022, according to the minister.

“This increase [in the fees] is very important in terms of supporting the sustainability of the public services we provide in the Turkish Strait,” he said.

“With the fees we collect, we continue to constantly improve the necessary infrastructure and ship traffic monitoring systems to ensure maritime safety and security, as well as enhance environmental protection, in our Turkish Straits — one of the world's most hazardous narrow waterways,” the minister added.

In 2024, a total of 51,058 transit ships subject to the fees passed through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits, Uraloğlu said.

Some $227.4 million in fee revenue was collected from those vessels, he added.

“This figure also reveals how high the cost of managing the Turkish Straits is. As before, we will continue to protect our country's rights and interests with determination, in accordance with international regulations,” Uraloğlu said.