Aydinlik newspaper quoted the Directorate of Maritime Affairs of the Turkish Ministry of Transport as saying that the Turkish authorities intend, as of July 1, to raise the fees for ships passing through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles by more than eight percent.
In October last year, the Turkish authorities raised the fees for the passage of merchant ships through the Black Sea straits by 5 times. The amount is calculated on the basis of the gold franc approved since the signing in 1936 of the Montreux Convention, which regulates navigation in the straits.
The newspaper added: “The Maritime Affairs Directorate of the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure announced a new regulation in the transactions of taxes and fees paid for non-stop passage through the Turkish Straits.
According to the Montreux Convention, the basic value of the gold franc approved in calculating the indicators of taxes and fees imposed on ships crossing the strait without entering Turkish ports will increase from July 1, by 8.3 percent, or to 4.42 dollars.
In this way, it is expected that the income from crossing the straits, not counting the pilotage and towing services, will reach $ 900 million per year.
The newspaper noted that the value of the gold franc was at the signing of the Montreux Agreement, equivalent to 0.8 dollars, and in October of last year, this value rose to 4.08 dollars.
This article was originally published by RT.