Turkey to Increase Transit Fees for Bosporus and Dardanelles by Five Times

The Turkish authorities will increase the fees for ships transiting through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits by five times, as provided by the Montreux Convention, reports Sabah newspaper.

The new regulation will come into effect on October 7, 2022. It is emphasized that the 75% discount, established in 1983, will be abolished. With the implementation of the regulation starting October 7, 2022, operational revenue will increase from $40 million to $200 million, achieved through a fivefold increase in lighthouse, rescue, and medical fees, according to the article.

The Montreux Convention was adopted in 1936. It preserves the freedom of transit of commercial vessels through the straits in both peace and wartime; however, the regimes differ for different countries. At the same time, the document restricts the presence of non-Black Sea country warships in the Black Sea to three weeks. In emergencies, Turkey has the right to prohibit or restrict the transit of warships through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits.

On April 20, Turkish authorities suspended maritime traffic through the Bosporus in both directions. Simultaneously, Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stated that he would not allow Russian warships to enter the Black Sea.

In May, Turkey decided to cancel a number of NATO exercises. The country's authorities declared that the exercises of the Alliance could be perceived as a provocation, which would only increase tensions.