Turkish Straits transit fees set for July revision

ISTANBUL

Fees charged to vessels transiting the Turkish Straits without a port call will be updated as of July 1, daily Milliyet has reported.

From 1983 until 2022, a fixed fee of $0.80 had been applied to such transits.

Following a revision on October 7, 2022—the first in 39 years—the fee was increased nearly fivefold to $4.08. This amount was subsequently raised to $4.42 on July 1, 2023, to $5.07 on July 1, 2024, and to $5.83 on July 1, 2025.

As of July 1, 2026, the fee will be further increased to $6.7, remaining in effect until June 30, 2027.

Charges for vessels transiting the Turkish Straits without a port call are collected under three categories: health inspection services, lighthouse services, and salvage services. The calculation is based on the vessel’s net tonnage (NRT), using the “Gold Franc” as the unit, which is indexed to the price of gold per ounce.

A vessel with a net tonnage of 10,000 paid a total of $3,240 for these three services prior to the 2022 revision. Following the latest adjustment effective July 1, 2026, the same vessel is expected to pay approximately $25,000.

Before 2022, annual revenues from strait transit fees ranged between $20 million and $30 million. Last year, revenues reached nearly $300 million, marking a tenfold increase.