Turkey Increases Transit Fee for Vessels Passing Through Bosphorus and Dardanelles by 15%

Turkey’s Ministry of Transport has announced a 14.7% increase in the calculation unit used to determine transit fees for vessels passing through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits without calling at Turkish ports, effective from July 1. Since 2022, the government has been raising the transit fee annually. Starting next month, the new rate for vessels not docking at Turkish ports will be 7.2 times higher than the 2022 level. According to the Ministry, the number of charged transits exceeded 51,000 last year, generating $227.4 million in budget revenue. Turkish maritime agency Zeymarine, which provides port agency services, estimates that under the new rate, transit costs for different vessel types as of early 2025 will rise significantly — reaching approximately $62,000 for a supramax, nearly $50,000 for a panamax, and $105,000 for a kamsarmax.