Turkish shipping and maritime law sits at the intersection of three legal layers: domestic legislation centred on Book V of the Turkish Commercial Code (Law No. 6102, "TTK", Articles 931-1400) governing the substantive maritime relationships; specialised statutes on the Turkish ship registry, cabotage, pollution response, and ports; and the international conventions Turkey has ratified that govern carriage of goods by sea, ship arrest, pollution liability, salvage, maritime labour, and safety at sea. The Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits add a further regulatory layer of historic significance, governed primarily by the Montreux Convention of 1936 and Turkey's domestic traffic regulations.
Turkey is a major maritime jurisdiction by any measure: the country has more than 8,300 kilometres of coastline, hosts some of the most strategically positioned ports in the Eastern Mediterranean, controls the only sea passage between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, and operates a domestic merchant fleet that ranks among the largest in the world by deadweight tonnage. ER&GUN&ER Law Firm advises shipowners, charterers, freight forwarders, port operators, terminal operators, classification societies, P&I clubs, marine insurers, and lenders financing Turkish-flagged or Turkish-traded vessels on the full range of Turkish maritime legal matters: vessel registration and flag changes, charter party drafting and disputes, bills of lading and carriage claims, ship arrest and release, maritime liens, pollution incidents, crew employment, port operations, and dispute resolution before the maritime courts and in arbitration.
The Legal Architecture: TTK Book V Plus International Conventions
Book V of the TTK is the primary domestic source of Turkish maritime law, organised in fourteen sections covering ships and shipowners (Articles 931-981), the shipping company and the master (Articles 982-1102), maritime contracts including charter parties and bills of lading (Articles 1138-1245), passenger carriage by sea (Articles 1246-1271), collision (Articles 1286-1297), salvage (Articles 1298-1318), general average (Articles 1272-1285), maritime liens (Articles 1320-1351), insurance against maritime risks (Articles 1401-1520, in Book Six following Book V), and execution against ships (Articles 1352-1400). The 2011 reform that replaced the original 6762 Code with the current 6102 Code modernised the maritime provisions extensively, aligning them with international conventions and best practice.
The international convention layer covers the principal areas of maritime activity. Turkey is party to: the International Convention on Maritime Liens and Mortgages (1967, ratified through Law No. 4707); the International Convention Relating to the Arrest of Sea-Going Ships (1952 Brussels Convention), the basis for the Turkish ship arrest regime; the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC 1992, ratified through Law No. 4658); the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (Bunker Convention 2001, ratified through Law No. 5934); the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78 with all six Annexes); the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS 1974); the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code); the International Safety Management Code (ISM Code); the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006, ratified through Law No. 6447 effective 23 August 2017); the Hague-Visby Rules incorporated through the TTK reform; and the New York Convention 1958 governing enforcement of arbitral awards.
Specialised domestic statutes complete the picture: the Turkish International Ship Registry Law (Law No. 4490 of 1999, "TUGS Law") creating the parallel international registry; the Cabotage Law (Law No. 815 of 1926) reserving coastal trading to Turkish-flagged vessels owned by Turkish nationals; the Ports Law (Law No. 618 of 1925); Law No. 5312 on Response to Pollution of the Marine Environment by Petroleum and Other Harmful Substances; the Turkish Straits Maritime Traffic Regulation (1998) implementing Turkey's responsibilities under Montreux; and the various ministerial regulations on ship registration, manning, port operations, and marine insurance. Practice may vary by authority and year on the implementing regulations; the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure issues sectoral guidance regularly.
Vessel Registration: National Registry vs Turkish International Ship Registry (TUGS)
Turkey operates two parallel ship registries with materially different commercial and tax profiles. The National Ship Registry (Milli Gemi Sicili, "MGS") is the standard registry under TTK Articles 941-960, governed by the Ship Registration Regulation. Vessels exceeding 18 gross tons used for commercial purposes in Turkish waters must be registered in the MGS unless eligible for and electing TUGS registration. Eligibility for the MGS requires Turkish ownership: the vessel must be owned by a Turkish citizen, by a Turkish-incorporated company in which the majority of the share capital is held by Turkish citizens, or by a Turkish public entity. Registration creates the public record of ownership, mortgages, and other registered encumbrances, and is the basis for the ship's right to fly the Turkish flag.
The Turkish International Ship Registry (Türk Uluslararası Gemi Sicili, "TUGS") under Law No. 4490 of 1999 is the parallel international registry created to make Turkish-flagged shipping more competitive in international markets. TUGS registration relaxes several of the MGS conditions: foreign-owned vessels can be registered under TUGS subject to specific eligibility criteria; the manning rules are more flexible, permitting non-Turkish crew to a greater extent than the MGS regime allows; and the tax regime is materially more favourable.
The TUGS tax advantages are the principal commercial driver of registration choice. Income from the operation of TUGS-registered vessels (carriage by sea, time charter, voyage charter, bareboat charter, towage) is exempt from corporate income tax under Article 12 of Law No. 4490. The wages of crew members on TUGS-registered vessels are exempt from income tax. The proceeds from the sale of TUGS-registered vessels are exempt from corporate income tax for the seller. These exemptions are conditional and subject to ongoing compliance, but for shipowners operating Turkish-flagged tonnage in international markets, the TUGS registration produces materially better after-tax economics than the standard MGS registration. We model the registry choice for every client with a Turkish-flag option, because the long-term tax and operational savings often dwarf the structural and procedural differences. Practice may vary by authority and year on the application of the TUGS exemptions to specific income types; the Revenue Administration has issued multiple rulings refining the boundary between TUGS-eligible and standard income.
The Cabotage Reserve: Coastal Trading Rights for Turkish-Flagged Vessels
The Cabotage Law (Law No. 815 of 19 April 1926) reserves Turkish coastal trading to vessels flying the Turkish flag and owned by Turkish nationals or by Turkish-incorporated companies meeting the ownership criteria. "Coastal trading" includes the carriage of passengers and cargo between Turkish ports, fishing in Turkish territorial waters, towage and salvage operations within Turkish waters, and the operation of certain port and harbour services. Foreign-flagged vessels cannot perform these activities except under specific exemptions or international agreements.
The cabotage reserve has been one of the longest-standing pillars of Turkish maritime policy and remains in force essentially unchanged since 1926. The economic effect is to create a protected market for Turkish-flagged vessels in domestic trades, which both supports the Turkish merchant fleet and constrains foreign operators looking to participate in Turkish coastal commerce. For foreign investors interested in the Turkish maritime sector, the cabotage reserve is the gating consideration: investment must be structured through Turkish-incorporated companies with the requisite Turkish ownership profile, or it must be confined to international trades that do not trigger the cabotage rule.
Specific exemptions apply in narrow circumstances: certain pleasure craft and yacht operations, specific scientific research vessels, vessels operating under international agreements that override the cabotage rule, and limited operations connected to offshore energy activities under the rules administered by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. The exemption catalogue is administered by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and the Coast Guard, with case-by-case clearances required for non-standard operations. Practice may vary by authority and year on the granular interpretation of cabotage scope; the Court of Cassation and the Council of State (Danıştay) have refined the analysis multiple times since the law's enactment.
Charter Parties and Bills of Lading Under Turkish Law
Charter parties for Turkish-flagged vessels or for cargo movements involving Turkish ports follow international standard forms in the vast majority of cases. BIMCO standard forms — GENCON for voyage charters, NYPE for time charters, BARECON for bareboat charters, SUPPLYTIME for offshore supply vessels — are widely used and are enforceable under Turkish law subject to the substantive provisions of TTK Book V where they conflict with the parties' chosen terms. The general principle is contractual freedom under TBK Article 26, with the TTK substantive rules operating as default rules that the parties can vary where the TTK so permits.
Voyage charters under TTK Articles 1138-1188 allocate the operational risks between the shipowner and the charterer in a defined pattern: the shipowner provides the vessel and the crew, undertakes to perform the voyage, and bears the operational risks of the voyage; the charterer provides the cargo and pays the freight at the agreed rate. Time charters under TTK Articles 1131-1137 transfer the operational use of the vessel to the charterer for a defined period in exchange for hire, with the shipowner retaining vessel maintenance and crewing responsibility. Bareboat charters transfer both operational and maintenance responsibility to the charterer for the term, with the shipowner's role essentially confined to receiving the hire and ensuring the vessel's documentary status remains in order.
Bills of lading (konişmento) under TTK Articles 1228-1245 are the documentary instruments that govern the carrier's obligations to the cargo interest. Turkish bill-of-lading practice follows the Hague-Visby Rules incorporated through the TTK reform, with the carrier's basic obligations of seaworthiness and care of the cargo, the standard exemptions for nautical fault and other listed events, and the package or unit limitation of liability. The bill of lading operates as a receipt for the goods, evidence of the carriage contract, and (for negotiable bills) a document of title transferring constructive possession of the goods to the holder. Practice may vary by authority and year on specific carrier defences and the calculation of package limitations under inflation-adjusted SDR conversion.
Ship Arrest Under the 1952 Brussels Convention and TTK Article 1352
Ship arrest is the most operationally significant remedy in international shipping practice, and Turkey is a major arrest jurisdiction by reason of its location and port traffic. Turkey is party to the 1952 Brussels Convention on the Arrest of Sea-Going Ships, ratified by Law No. 6469. The Convention's framework is incorporated into Turkish domestic law through TTK Articles 1352-1376 (maritime liens and the security interest framework that supports arrest) and the procedural rules of the Code of Civil Procedure (Law No. 6100, "HMK") and the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law (Law No. 2004).
Arrest is available for "maritime claims" as defined in Article 1 of the 1952 Convention, a list that includes damage caused by a vessel, loss of life or personal injury caused by a vessel, salvage claims, towage and pilotage claims, supplies furnished to a vessel, claims for the construction or repair of a vessel, wages of masters and crew, master's disbursements, and claims arising out of the sale or mortgage of a vessel. The list is closed but broad enough to cover most operationally significant claims. The arrest petition is filed before the competent commercial court of the port where the vessel is located, with the petitioner posting security calibrated to the vessel's value and the potential damage from a wrongful arrest.
Procedural mechanics in Turkish practice typically run very fast for genuine maritime claims with documentary support: an arrest order can be obtained on an ex parte basis within hours of filing, with the vessel detained at the port until the security demanded by the court is provided. The shipowner's response options are to provide the security (typically a P&I club letter of undertaking or a bank guarantee) and proceed with the substantive dispute, or to challenge the arrest on procedural or substantive grounds. The Turkish maritime courts in Istanbul, İzmir, and Mersin handle the bulk of arrest applications, with experienced specialist judges and a developed procedural practice. Practice may vary by authority and year on the specific security level demanded and the form of acceptable security; the trend has been toward standardisation around international P&I letter formats.
Maritime Liens and Their Ranking
Maritime liens (kanuni rehin hakkı or gemi alacaklısı hakkı) under TTK Articles 1320-1351 are statutory security interests that attach to the ship and certain related assets to secure specified categories of claims. The lien arises by operation of law without the need for a separate security agreement, attaches to the vessel as a in rem right, and follows the vessel through ownership changes — a buyer of a vessel takes subject to existing maritime liens regardless of notice. This in rem character is what makes the maritime lien distinctive and what gives ship arrest its practical force.
The categories of maritime claims that give rise to liens are listed in TTK Article 1320, mirroring Article 4 of the 1967 International Convention on Maritime Liens and Mortgages: claims for masters' and crew wages and other amounts due in respect of their employment; claims for port, canal, and other waterway dues and pilotage charges; claims for personal injury or death occurring in connection with the operation of the vessel; claims for damage to property other than cargo carried on the vessel arising from the operation of the vessel; and claims for salvage, wreck removal, and contribution to general average.
The ranking of maritime liens is determined by TTK Article 1322, with priority running broadly: crew wages first, then salvage and general average, then damage from operation, then port and waterway dues. Maritime liens generally rank ahead of registered ship mortgages in distribution of arrest sale proceeds, which is why ship financiers pay close attention to the maritime lien profile of the vessels they finance and routinely monitor for lien-creating events that could erode their security position. We run lien diligence on every ship finance transaction and on every vessel sale-and-purchase, because hidden liens are the most common source of post-closing surprises in Turkish maritime transactions.
Pollution Liability: CLC, Bunker Convention, MARPOL, and Domestic Law
Marine pollution from ships in Turkish waters is governed by an integrated legal regime combining international conventions and domestic law. The Civil Liability Convention (CLC 1992) ratified through Law No. 4658 imposes strict liability on the registered owner of a tanker carrying persistent oil as cargo for pollution damage caused by escape or discharge of that oil within Turkish waters. The Bunker Convention 2001 ratified through Law No. 5934 extends similar strict liability to the registered owner of any vessel for pollution damage from bunker oil. Compulsory insurance requirements apply to vessels above defined size thresholds.
Domestic law extends the framework. Law No. 5312 on Response to Pollution of the Marine Environment by Petroleum and Other Harmful Substances and Compensation for Damages establishes the Turkish response and compensation regime, including the obligations of the polluter to fund response operations, the calculation of compensable damage, the limitation regime, and the role of state agencies in directing response operations. The Environmental Law (Law No. 2872) and its implementing regulations apply general environmental protection rules, with administrative fines for unauthorised discharges that can reach significant amounts depending on the volume and nature of the pollutant.
MARPOL 73/78 with all six Annexes is implemented through the Ship-Source Marine Pollution Regulation and related ministerial guidance. Discharges of oily waste, sewage, garbage, and air emissions are subject to defined controls, with port state control inspections in Turkish ports verifying compliance through documentary checks (oil record book, garbage record book, sewage management plan) and physical inspection. Violations trigger administrative fines, vessel detention, and in serious cases criminal liability for the master and the owner. Practice may vary by authority and year on the specific fine levels and inspection priorities; the Coast Guard and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change publish enforcement statistics that show consistent year-over-year increases in inspection volume since 2018.
Crew Employment and the Maritime Labour Convention
Maritime labour in Turkey is governed by an integrated framework combining the Maritime Labour Law (Law No. 854 of 1967, the Deniz İş Kanunu), the general Labour Law (Law No. 4857) for matters not specifically addressed in the Maritime Labour Law, the Social Insurance Law (Law No. 5510), and the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC) ratified through Law No. 6447 effective 23 August 2017. The MLC is the international baseline for seafarer rights, conditions of employment, accommodation, food, medical care, and social security; Turkish implementation incorporates the MLC standards into domestic law and subjects Turkish-flagged vessels to MLC compliance.
Seafarer employment agreements (deniz iş sözleşmesi) under the Maritime Labour Law require specific content covering the seafarer's identity, the vessel's identity, the position, the remuneration, the duration, the leave entitlement, and the termination conditions. The agreement must be in writing and copies provided to the seafarer. Wages are payable monthly with specific protections against deductions, and specific repatriation rights apply on contract expiry, illness, or vessel loss. The shipowner's social insurance obligations under Law No. 5510 apply to the crew as employees, with SGK registration and premium reporting required throughout the employment period.
The TUGS regime described earlier provides the income tax exemption for crew wages on TUGS-registered vessels, which is a meaningful financial advantage for both the shipowner (lower gross payroll cost) and the crew (higher net wages). The exemption applies to crew working on TUGS vessels in international trades and operates through the standard payroll mechanism. Practice may vary by authority and year on the specific documentation evidencing TUGS-eligible employment; the Revenue Administration has refined the requirements multiple times since the TUGS Law's enactment.
Marine Insurance and P&I Coverage
Marine insurance under Turkish law is governed by TTK Articles 1453-1520 (Book Six, Section on Insurance Against Maritime Risks) and the Insurance Law (Law No. 5684) for the general regulatory framework. Hull insurance (covering physical loss or damage to the vessel), cargo insurance (covering loss or damage to the cargo), and protection and indemnity (P&I) coverage (covering third-party liability arising from vessel operations) are the standard insurance products, with structures aligned to international market norms.
P&I coverage in Turkish maritime practice is overwhelmingly placed with International Group of P&I Clubs members through London or other major hubs, with Turkish-domiciled insurers handling some of the smaller-vessel and inland-water business. The P&I Club's letter of undertaking (LOU) is the standard form of security in Turkish ship arrest proceedings, accepted by the maritime courts as substitute for cash or bank guarantee in the vast majority of cases. The LOU mechanic enables the vessel to obtain release from arrest within hours of the LOU being issued, which is operationally essential for time-sensitive cargo movements.
Marine insurance disputes — coverage disputes, salvage claims, general average contributions, subrogation actions — are handled either before the commercial courts in their insurance specialisation or through arbitration where the policy contains an arbitration clause. The Turkish Insurance Arbitration Centre (Sigorta Tahkim Komisyonu) handles a high volume of insurance disputes on a streamlined timeline, with awards enforceable through the standard Turkish arbitration enforcement framework. Practice may vary by authority and year on the choice of forum for marine insurance disputes; the Sigorta Tahkim Komisyonu's caseload has grown substantially since 2018, signalling a shift away from court litigation for these matters.
The Turkish Straits: Montreux Convention and Domestic Traffic Rules
The Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits — collectively the Turkish Straits — are the only sea passage between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean and are governed by a sui generis legal regime that operates separately from the territorial-water rules applicable to other Turkish coastal waters. The international framework is the Convention Regarding the Régime of the Straits signed at Montreux on 20 July 1936 (the "Montreux Convention"), which guarantees freedom of passage for merchant vessels in time of peace subject to defined conditions, with restrictions on warship passage by tonnage, type, and duration depending on whether the vessel belongs to a Black Sea littoral state.
Turkey's sovereign authority over the Straits is exercised through the Turkish Straits Maritime Traffic Regulation (1998, replacing the 1994 regulation) administered by the Coast Guard and the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs. The Regulation establishes mandatory traffic separation schemes through the Straits, requirements for pilotage (mandatory for certain vessel categories and strongly recommended for others), reporting obligations to Vessel Traffic Services, transit windows for specific vessel categories, and special procedures for vessels carrying dangerous cargoes. Compliance failures can result in administrative fines, denial of passage on subsequent transits, and (in serious cases) criminal liability.
Pilotage in the Straits is performed by Turkish-licensed pilots under the regime established by the Pilotage Law (Law No. 491). The pilot's role is advisory — operational responsibility remains with the master — but practical experience suggests that vessels declining pilotage in the more congested sections of the Bosphorus face higher incident rates and more intensive oversight on subsequent transits. We advise foreign owners and operators on Straits compliance as a routine part of any operation involving Black Sea trade routes, because the documentary and procedural requirements have been refined multiple times since 2018 and the cost of non-compliance scales with vessel size and cargo type.
Dispute Resolution: Maritime Courts and Arbitration
Specialist maritime courts (denizcilik ihtisas mahkemeleri) operate in Istanbul, İzmir, and Mersin under TTK Article 5 and the implementing regulations on specialised commercial courts. These courts handle the substantive maritime disputes — cargo claims, charter party disputes, ship arrest, collision, salvage, general average, marine insurance, pollution liability — with judges experienced in maritime law and shorter timelines than the general commercial courts achieve. Procedural rules follow the standard HMK framework with sector-specific adaptations for maritime matters.
Arbitration is the alternative forum for maritime disputes where the underlying contract contains an arbitration clause, which is the case for the vast majority of charter parties and cross-border bills of lading. The standard institutional choices are the Istanbul Arbitration Centre (ISTAC) under Law No. 6570 of 29 November 2014 for Turkish-domestic arbitrations, the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA) for English-law charter party disputes (the most common cross-border choice), the ICC for major cross-border disputes, and ad hoc arbitration under UNCITRAL or other rules. The seat is typically London for LMAA, Istanbul for ISTAC, and as agreed for ICC.
Awards from foreign-seated arbitrations are enforceable in Turkey under the New York Convention 1958 acceded to through Law No. 3731 effective 25 September 1991. Turkish-seated arbitral awards are enforceable directly through the standard Law No. 6570 procedure. The interaction with ship arrest is operationally important: ship arrest in Turkey can be obtained and maintained alongside an ongoing foreign arbitration, with the arrested vessel released against P&I letter of undertaking pending the arbitration outcome. Practice may vary by authority and year on the specific procedural requirements for arrest in support of foreign-seated arbitration; the Turkish maritime courts have generally been cooperative in this regard.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the primary source of Turkish maritime law? Book V of the Turkish Commercial Code (Law No. 6102), Articles 931-1400, supplemented by international conventions, the Turkish International Ship Registry Law (No. 4490), the Cabotage Law (No. 815), and specialised pollution and ports legislation.
- What is the difference between MGS and TUGS registration? The National Ship Registry (MGS) is the standard registry for Turkish-owned commercial vessels. The Turkish International Ship Registry (TUGS) under Law No. 4490 is a parallel registry with relaxed manning rules and material tax advantages including corporate income tax exemption on operating income and income tax exemption on crew wages.
- Who can register a vessel under the Turkish flag? Under MGS: Turkish citizens, Turkish-incorporated companies majority-owned by Turkish citizens, and Turkish public entities. TUGS eligibility is broader and includes certain foreign-owned vessels meeting the conditions of Law No. 4490.
- What is the cabotage rule? Under Law No. 815 of 1926, coastal trading between Turkish ports is reserved to Turkish-flagged vessels owned by Turkish nationals or qualifying Turkish companies. Foreign-flagged vessels cannot perform domestic Turkish coastal trading except under specific exemptions.
- Is Turkey party to the Hague-Visby Rules? The Hague-Visby Rules are incorporated into Turkish law through the TTK Book V provisions on bills of lading and carrier liability, although Turkey is not formally a state party to the Hague-Visby Convention itself. The substantive rules apply through TTK Articles 1228-1245.
- Can ships be arrested in Turkey? Yes. Turkey is party to the 1952 Brussels Arrest Convention (ratified by Law No. 6469), and the regime is implemented through TTK Articles 1352-1376 plus the procedural rules of HMK and Law No. 2004. Arrest is available for the maritime claims listed in the Convention.
- How fast can a ship arrest be obtained? A well-documented arrest application can produce an arrest order within hours of filing. The vessel is detained until the shipowner provides the security demanded by the court (typically a P&I letter of undertaking or bank guarantee).
- What conventions govern oil pollution liability in Turkey? The Civil Liability Convention 1992 (CLC, ratified by Law No. 4658) for tankers carrying persistent oil; the Bunker Convention 2001 (ratified by Law No. 5934) for bunker oil from any vessel; MARPOL 73/78 with all six Annexes; and Law No. 5312 on domestic pollution response and compensation.
- Has Turkey ratified the Maritime Labour Convention? Yes, through Law No. 6447 effective 23 August 2017. The MLC standards are incorporated into Turkish maritime labour law alongside the Maritime Labour Law (No. 854) and the general Labour Law (No. 4857).
- What governs the Bosphorus and Dardanelles? The Montreux Convention of 1936 governs the international regime of the Turkish Straits, and Turkey's sovereign authority is exercised through the Turkish Straits Maritime Traffic Regulation of 1998 administered by the Coast Guard and the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs.
- Is pilotage mandatory in the Turkish Straits? Mandatory for certain vessel categories (tankers, vessels carrying dangerous cargoes, vessels above defined size thresholds in the more congested sections) and strongly recommended for others. The pilot's role is advisory, with operational responsibility remaining with the master.
- Where are maritime disputes heard in Turkey? Specialist maritime courts (denizcilik ihtisas mahkemeleri) operate in Istanbul, İzmir, and Mersin. Arbitration is the alternative forum where the underlying contract contains an arbitration clause; ISTAC, LMAA, and ICC are the standard institutional choices.
- Are foreign arbitral awards enforceable in Turkey? Yes, under the New York Convention 1958 acceded to through Law No. 3731 effective 25 September 1991. Standard recognition and enforcement procedure applies through the Turkish commercial courts.
- Can a P&I letter of undertaking be used as security in Turkish ship arrest? Yes. International Group P&I Club LOUs are accepted by the Turkish maritime courts as substitute security in the vast majority of cases, enabling vessel release within hours of LOU issuance.
- Where does ER&GUN&ER Law Firm support shipping matters? Vessel registration (MGS and TUGS), flag changes, sale and purchase, ship finance and mortgages, charter party drafting and disputes, bills of lading and cargo claims, ship arrest and release, maritime liens, pollution incidents, crew employment under the Maritime Labour Law, port operations, Straits compliance, and dispute resolution before the maritime courts and in arbitration.
Author: Mirkan Topcu is an attorney registered with the Istanbul Bar Association (Istanbul 1st Bar), Bar Registration No: 67874. His practice focuses on cross-border and high-stakes matters where evidence discipline, procedural accuracy, and risk control are decisive.
He advises shipowners, charterers, freight forwarders, port operators, marine insurers, and lenders financing Turkish-flagged vessels across Maritime and Shipping Law, Vessel Registration, Charter Parties and Bills of Lading, Ship Arrest and Maritime Liens, Pollution Liability, Maritime Labour, Marine Insurance, and cross-border documentation matters where procedural accuracy and evidence discipline are decisive.
Education: Istanbul University Faculty of Law (2018); Galatasaray University, LL.M. (2022). LinkedIn: Profile. Istanbul Bar Association: Official website.