Türkiye has confirmed the increase in fees for the passage of ships through its straits

From July 1, Turkey will increase the size of the payment for the passage of ships through the straits to $4.42 per ton, the republic has taken a “historic step” to increase the inflow of foreign currency, said Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu.

“Since 1983, ships passing through the straits have been charged $0.8063 per ton. After 39 years, we updated these fees by a presidential decree of October 7, 2022, increasing the fee per ton to $4.08. We are updating the fee to $4.42 effective July 1, 2023.” – leads newspaper Star words of the minister.

Earlier in June, the Aydinlik newspaper, citing the decision of the General Directorate for Maritime Affairs under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure reportedthat from July 1, Turkey will increase the fee for the passage of ships through the Black Sea straits of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles by 8.3% – up to $4.42 per ton. In previous years, revenue from ship passages was about $160-170 million. As a result of the increase in fees, revenue is expected to rise to $900 million in 2023.

The amount of duties is calculated on the basis of the gold franc since the signing in 1936 of the Montreux Convention, which regulates navigation in the straits, the newspaper noted. According to the document, the value of the franc was fixed at $0.8. In 2022, a “historic decision” was made that the value of the gold franc would not be fixed, but would be updated at the end of June each year, the publication recalled. Since October 7 last year, the Turkish authorities have increased the cost of passage of ships through the straits from $0.8 to $4.08.

The Montreux Convention restored Turkish sovereignty over the Bosphorus and Dardanelles from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. It was adopted in 1936. At the same time, Turkey pledged to comply with the principles of international maritime law. The document established a different regime for the passage of warships for the fleets of the Black Sea and non-Black Sea states.

After the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, Turkey closed the straits for all warships.