Turkey increases the fees for the passage of vessels through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles from July 1

The fee for vessels transiting the Turkish Strait will increase on 1 July to $5.07. This was announced by the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey Abdulkadir Uraloglu. "For the first time in 39 years, the fee for passage through the Straits was increased on October 7, 2022 to $4.08. Then from July 1, 2023 the fee was increased to $4.42. This year, from July 1, the fee will be $5.07. In the future, fees for passage through the Straits will be updated annually on July 1," - said Uraloglu.

According to the Montreux Convention, vessels transiting the Turkish Straits are charged three charges: sanitary inspection, lighthouses and rescue operations.  The calculation of fees is based on the net tonnage of ships (NRT) and the unit of measurement is "gold francs" indexed to the price of an ounce of gold. If we consider a ship of 10,000 net tonnage, then until the first update in 2022, the fee for passage for such a vessel was a total of $3,240. After July 1, 2024, this vessel will pay already $20,370. Thus, the fees will be increased by 6,3 times. 

"Thanks to the fees charged, we are constantly improving our infrastructure and traffic monitoring systems to improve the safety of navigation as well as the environmental safety of the Turkish Straits, one of the most risky narrow waterways in the world. Raising the fee will also increase the inflow of foreign currency into the state treasury of Turkey," said the minister.