NorthStandard: Turkiye significantly increases pollution fines for 2025

Global marine insurer NorthStandard on Wednesday (31 December) shared Correspondent Omur Marine’s circular on Turkiye significantly increased its sea pollution fines compared to previous years’ rates:

In Turkey, the level of applicable sea pollution fines scale is updated annually. 

Pursuant to the Tax Procedure Law General Communiqué, prepared by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance and published in the Official Gazette dated November 27, 2024, the revaluation rate for the year 2024 has been determined and announced as 43.93%. In this context, the monetary penalties stipulated in Article 20 of Environment Code shall be applied at the amounts specified below as of January 1, 2025.

For tankers discharging petroleum products and derivatives (crude oil, fuel oil, bilge, sludge, slop, refined products, oily waste, etc.);

For tankers discharging polluted ballast water;

For ships and other marine vehicles discharging petroleum products (bilge, sludge, slop, fuel oil, oily waste, etc.) or polluted ballast water;

For tankers, ships, and other marine vehicles discharging domestic wastewater, detergent water, foam, bilge water, or solid waste into the sea;

Fixed fine amounts for the vessels with a gross tonnage of up to 150 GT;

Photo credit: Tolga Ahmetler on Unsplash
Published: 2 January, 2025