The İMEAK DTO Assembly addressed maritime sector challenges and regulations during its July meeting, emphasizing security and economic concerns.
The July Assembly Meeting of the Istanbul and Marmara, Aegean, Mediterranean, and Black Sea Regions (İMEAK) Chamber of Shipping (DTO) was held on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in our Assembly Hall.
The meeting, chaired by İMEAK Chamber of Shipping Assembly President Başaran Bayrak, included remarks from the Chairman of the Board, Tamer Kıran, who provided evaluations on economic and sectoral issues.
At the beginning of his speech, Tamer Kıran expressed great concern and sadness over the news of forest fires from all over our country, wishing for all fires to be extinguished as soon as possible. He extended his condolences to all citizens affected by the fires and wished ease to all officials who are bravely fighting the flames.
Tamer Kıran noted that geopolitical risks originating from the Middle East and uncertainties regarding global trade continued to be decisive in the global maritime markets in July. He pointed out that ongoing security issues in the Strait of Hormuz and the resurgence of ship attacks in the Red Sea were increasing pressure on energy transportation and trade routes.
He mentioned that current forecasts indicated a limited contraction of 0.1% in global maritime transportation by tonnage in 2026, while a growth of 1.3% was expected in ton-miles. Tamer Kıran stated that developments in the Middle East, along with the U.S. tariffs on trade partners and increasing protectionist trends in global trade, would continue to be decisive in the course of maritime markets.
Attacks on Commercial Vessels in the Black Sea
Tamer Kıran emphasized that the most pressing issue concerning the maritime sector in July was undoubtedly the increasing attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea. He recalled that the recent attack on the Turkish-flagged bulk carrier Reyhan Sarı, which resulted in the death of a sailor, deeply saddened everyone.
He offered his condolences to the deceased sailor, wishing mercy from God, and extended his sympathies to the grieving family, relatives, and company, while also wishing a speedy recovery to the injured sailors and honoring all sailors who lost their lives.
Tamer Kıran pointed out that the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs had raised the region to a level 3 category, indicating the highest security risk, and stated:
"As the Chamber of Shipping, contrary to some baseless claims, we continue our follow-ups and initiatives on this matter in consultation with our Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Transport and Infrastructure. Recently, we sent letters to the embassies of Ukraine and the Russian Federation in Ankara, conveying our deep concern as the umbrella organization representing the Turkish maritime sector regarding attacks targeting commercial vessels and civilian mariners in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, and we clearly expressed our reaction to the loss of lives and injuries. On the other hand, through the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, we communicated our reaction to our counterpart in Ukraine both in writing and verbally. We will continue our contacts with these ministries through meetings and consultations."
Tamer Kıran noted that the current developments did not provide a strong indication that the war environment in the region would end soon, and therefore advised shipowners and operators operating in the Black Sea to conduct thorough risk assessments, closely follow the warnings and recommendations from relevant state institutions, and exercise maximum caution and care in their navigation planning.
Process of the Ship Agency Regulation
Recalling that when he sought the position of Chairman of the Board in 2018, he committed to creating a corporate and transparent structure for the Chamber and establishing a participatory understanding, Tamer Kıran stated that they had never compromised on this understanding during the past eight years, consulting with Assembly Members and Professional Committees on important issues concerning the Chamber and openly sharing the ongoing works, initiatives, and developments.
Indeed, he reminded that at the Assembly meeting held last month, he had stated that high-level initiatives were ongoing at the Ministry level regarding some regulations that caused difficulties in the sector concerning the Ship Agency Regulation published in the Official Gazette on May 14.
"However, I regret to see that our Chamber of Shipping is being used and exploited in the election process with incomplete and misleading information on this issue. Therefore, I would like to once again record how the process is being conducted and share it with you. Our Chamber has taken on an effective responsibility as the main institution coordinating between the sector and the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs while preparing the Ship Agency Regulation, ensuring that the views of our members and sector stakeholders are collected, a common sector opinion is formed, and this is conveyed to the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs in a complete manner. I want to emphasize that all opinions received from our members at every stage of the process have been conveyed to our Administration without any discrimination."
Tamer Kıran noted that the draft regulation, which was first sent to the Chamber by the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs on February 26, 2025, was presented for evaluation to all members and relevant sector stakeholders with Circular No. 157 published the next day, and all opinions and suggestions received by the Chamber were compiled without any discrimination and sent to the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs with a letter dated March 21, 2025, numbered 758.
He stated that in the sector opinion regarding the initial draft, demands for the reevaluation of financial adequacy criteria, protection of acquired rights, exemption of existing agencies from new regulations, protection of the acquired rights of agency personnel based on experience, and not requiring graduation from maritime-related programs to be able to be an agency responsible or personnel were presented in detail to the Ministry.
Tamer Kıran explained that the revised draft sent by the Ministry on August 1, 2025, was opened for the second time to the opinions of members and sector stakeholders with Circular No. 579 published on the same day, and all opinions and suggestions received were evaluated comprehensively and conveyed as a common opinion of the sector to the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs with a letter dated August 29, 2025, numbered 1871.
He continued:
"In our opinion regarding the second draft, all evaluations received from our members were conveyed to the Ministry without exception, and it was once again emphasized that acquired rights must be protected. Additionally, we pointed out that the regulation regarding the employment of agency personnel would impose additional financial burdens on B and C class agencies, stating that preserving the existing structures of these agencies is crucial for the sustainability of the sector, and that the requirement for employing maritime graduates should only be applied to A class agencies. Ultimately, our demand for agency owners and partners to be authorized as agency responsible without any additional requirements was included in the published regulation. Likewise, the high amounts proposed for document fees were reduced to more reasonable levels, and this demand was also met."
Tamer Kıran noted that no request received by the Chamber at any stage of the process was overlooked, and the views of members and sector stakeholders were conveyed to the relevant Administration, stating that a large portion of the conveyed opinions were reflected in the Regulation, while efforts regarding issues that did not receive a response would continue even after the publication of the Regulation.
In this context, he mentioned that after the publication of the Regulation, the requests and criticisms received from members were also conveyed to the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs with a comprehensive letter, stating:
"In our letter, we requested the re-evaluation of the results that the requirement for employing personnel graduated from maritime departments listed in YÖK Atlas would create for B and C class agencies and the removal of this requirement. In the same letter, we requested that the application of requiring agency authorization certificates from those operating agency boats by some Port Authorities be prevented, and we presented the negative consequences that would arise from the prohibition of multiple agencies operating in the same office under the Regulation, requesting the cancellation of that article."
He stated that they had communicated in writing that the list of programs published by the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs regarding the employment of personnel should be re-examined in line with YÖK Atlas data, and that 22 more departments should be added to the existing list. Indeed, as a result of their persistent efforts, 14 more departments were added to the previously published maritime-related departments, updating the list.
Tamer Kıran expressed that despite all the work done since the draft regulation was first sent on February 26, 2025, he found it inappropriate for an impression to be created that the Chamber had not adequately intervened in the preparation process of the Regulation or had not sufficiently conveyed the views and expectations of its members to the relevant authorities, and he rejected any attempt to disregard the efforts made by the Chamber during this process.
Sectoral Developments in July
Tamer Kıran indicated that one of the legislative works closely related to the sector in July was the "Regulation Amending the Regulation on the Incentive for the Construction of New Ships to Replace Turkish Flagged Ships that are Scrapped," prepared by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and published in the Official Gazette on July 16.
He reminded that with the changes made, the duration for a ship to be under the Turkish flag to benefit from the scrapping incentive was reduced from two years to three months, and that if the scrapped ship was 12,000 GT or above, the new ship to be built in its place must be at least half the size, while if it was below 12,000 GT, it must be at least one-third the size.
Tamer Kıran stated, "While we hope that this regulation will contribute to ship renewal projects, we believe that the existing conditions and the current realities of our sector must be further developed to achieve the desired scale of renewal, and we share this with the relevant authorities."
He also noted another important development was the resolution of a significant issue related to the implementation of Article 482 of the Customs Regulation, which had caused serious difficulties, thanking the Ministry of Trade and the General Directorate of Customs for their approach that eliminated an important uncertainty and serious problem for the sector.
As the current board of directors, Tamer Kıran affirmed that they would resolutely continue constructive initiatives that protect the rights and interests of members on every issue concerning the sector until the very end of their term, closely following developments in cooperation with relevant public institutions and sector stakeholders. He stated, "I kindly request that everyone remains assured in this matter, and I especially ask that any statements and actions that would disrupt our harmony and unity due to the election environment we have entered be avoided. It should not be forgotten that elections come and go. What remains are friendships, experiences, and accomplishments."
Journalist Metehan Demir delivered a presentation on "Tactical Planning and Future Analysis Against the Endless Risks of Ongoing Wars in the Region."
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
