Recent events have induced the authorities to make significant
changes to the rules governing the passage of vessels within the
Turkish Straits and the Marmara Sea. The last straw in coming to
this decision seems to have been the incident involving the bulk
carrier m/v "VITASPIRIT" during her transit of the
Istanbul Strait in April 2018 where the vessel contacted the shore
resulting in serious damage caused to a mansion with significant
historical value.
The general rules that govern the passage through the Turkish
Straits are contained in the Turkish Straits Sea Traffic Scheme
Regulation which is supplemented by a Practice Directive setting
out practical and technical details. The General Directorate of the
Regulation of Seas and Inland Waters of the Ministry of Transport
and Infrastructure have updated the Practice Direction with the
apparent aim to have more control in preventing and attending to
incidents within the Turkish Straits. Among others, the
