Tbilisi (GBC) - For the second day now, Turkey has raised the price of transit fees for foreign merchant ships in the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits to $5.07 per net tonnage (from $4.42). The representative of the transportation service company "Gianti Logistics" confirmed to GBC that the increase in the price of transit in the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits by Turkey is also reflected in their tariffs. However, they have not yet calculated how much their service fee will change.
GBC has approached other transport companies about possible changes in freight charges, however, they have not commented on the matter.
The mentioned decision was taken by the Ministry of Transport of Turkey.
It is mentioned in the agency's document that the tariff increase was planned. Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu previously announced that the revision of the fee was based on the decree of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 7, 2022.
According to the Montreux Convention, signed in 1936, which regulates navigation in the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits, fees for the non-stop transit of merchant ships are imposed for medical control, lighthouses and the evacuation of ships. Since 1983, the tax has been based on a gold franc and has been $0.8 per net tonnage. Starting in 2022, this rule was changed and the rate increased to $4.08.