Ismet Yılmaz emphasizes the evolving role of ports in trade and legal predictability at the International Symposium on Ports in Mersin.
Maritime Law · Mersin · September 3, 2026
The 26th President of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, İsmet Yılmaz, evaluated the changing role of ports at the opening conference of the 'Legal Regime of Ports International Symposium' held in Mersin. Emphasizing that legal predictability carries economic value in maritime trade, Yılmaz drew attention to topics that will shape the future of the sector, ranging from port state control to maritime safety, digitalization, decarbonization, and the resilience of ports against crises.
MERSIN – The 26th President of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, İsmet Yılmaz, delivered the opening conference of the 'Legal Regime of Ports International Symposium' held on September 3-4, 2026, in Mersin. Speaking at the symposium organized in coordination with the Mersin Chamber of Shipping (MDTO), in collaboration with the National Research Center for Maritime Law (DEHUKAM) of Ankara University and Mersin International Port Management Inc. (MIP), Yılmaz stated that ports have evolved beyond mere facilities where ships dock and cargo is handled.
Yılmaz indicated that Turkey is located at the center of maritime routes connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, at the intersection of trade routes between Europe and Asia. He expressed that the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, Mediterranean, and the Turkish Straits form a complementary maritime geography. Reminding that a significant portion of Turkey's foreign trade is conducted via sea, Yılmaz noted that ports are among the fundamental infrastructures of economic development.
Yılmaz articulated that ports should be considered not only as Turkey's import and export gateways but also as logistics centers of the surrounding geography; he emphasized the importance of planning port investments alongside railways, highways, logistics centers, and customs systems.
Stating that the competitiveness of ports cannot be measured solely by the services within terminal boundaries, Yılmaz said, 'Today, port competition does not end at the port gate; competition continues until the final destination of the cargo.'
Pointing out that more than 80% of the volume of international goods trade is transported by sea, Yılmaz stated that the global economy cannot develop without maritime transportation, and maritime transportation cannot be effective, safe, and legally predictable without ports.
He noted that a ship can sail thousands of nautical miles and cross oceans, straits, and canals; however, for the cargo it carries to generate economic value, it must ultimately reach a port. Yılmaz remarked that the port is not the last link in the maritime transport chain but one of the key nodes in the global logistics system.
According to Yılmaz, a modern port also serves as a logistics and energy center, border gate, data and security area, environmental management zone, and increasingly, a technology platform. This structure necessitates a multifaceted legal framework for ports.
Yılmaz stated that at the center of port law lies the balance between the sovereign authority of the coastal state and the need for uninterrupted and predictable maritime trade. He explained that states have the authority to determine the conditions for entry into ports, as well as customs, health, environmental, safety, and administrative rules.
Indicating that a ship operating on international voyages is subject to the laws of the flag state, the authorities of the coastal and port states, international treaties, and commercial relationships arising from the cargo, Yılmaz noted that shipowners, captains, cargo owners, and insurers want to know in advance what rules they will encounter when entering a port.
Emphasizing that good port law should be based on clear, predictable, inclusive, and non-discriminatory rules, Yılmaz stated that legal security is not only a legal value but also an economic one. He pointed out that the risk of uncertainty increases the costs of insurance, financing, and transportation, stating, 'The cost of legal uncertainty is borne not only by the ship operator but by the entire trade chain.'
In his speech, Yılmaz devoted significant attention to port state control, noting that the primary responsibility for ensuring the safety and standards of ships has historically been assigned to flag states. However, he pointed out that due to the growth of global maritime trade and the operation of ships under various flags, it has become evident that flag state control alone is insufficient.
Yılmaz highlighted that port states play a complementary role in the enforcement of standards established by international treaties such as SOLAS, MARPOL, and STCW, emphasizing that port state control does not replace flag state control.
He expressed that the purpose of control is not to punish ships but to reduce substandard shipping, enhance maritime safety, protect the marine environment, and safeguard the rights of seafarers, noting that the system also serves fair competition. He stressed that the authority to control should be exercised in a manner consistent with the objectives of international treaties, proportionate, transparent, and non-discriminatory.
Yılmaz stated that maritime safety cannot be ensured solely through technical rules, emphasizing that technical standards must be supported by effective administration, well-trained human resources, strong oversight, and a robust legal system.
He pointed out that merely having a ship that is technically safe is not sufficient; the safety of port approach channels, navigational aids, pilotage and towage services, hazardous cargo operations, emergency response capacity, and the security of port facilities are all integral parts of the same system.
Yılmaz remarked, 'Contemporary maritime safety does not consider the ship in isolation; it evaluates the relationship between the ship, the port, the people, and the environment as a whole.'
He noted that the continuity of energy supply, food security, industrial production, defense logistics, and supply chains depends on the uninterrupted operation of ports, stating that disruptions in a port or a significant maritime transit route can affect production centers thousands of kilometers away.
Yılmaz indicated that these developments have brought the concept of 'resilience' to the forefront of port management, stating, 'The port of the future will not only be a fast port. It will also be a port resilient to crises.'
He stated that ports capable of continuing operations despite natural disasters, cyberattacks, energy outages, supply chain disruptions, and sudden changes in maritime trade will gain strategic advantages, emphasizing that speed of service and operational efficiency are no longer sufficient competitive criteria on their own.
Yılmaz cited the mandatory implementation of the Maritime Single Window under the IMO as one of the significant examples of digital transformation, explaining that the arrival and departure processes of ships at ports are increasingly being conducted electronically.
He noted that port community systems, electronic bills of lading, blockchain applications, AI-supported planning, automated terminals, remotely controlled equipment, and autonomous vessels have entered the sector's agenda, emphasizing that every technological advancement brings new legal questions and regulatory gaps.
Yılmaz stressed that the law should not become an obstacle to the development of new technologies; conversely, technology should not be left within legal voids. He stated that the safe and widespread use of autonomous vessels, artificial intelligence, and digital ports depends on the establishment of globally accepted, technologically neutral, balanced, and fair rules.
Yılmaz pointed out that the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) 2023 greenhouse gas strategy has created an important framework directing maritime transportation towards net zero emissions, stating that the energy transition is not limited to ships alone.
He explained that the use of methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, and other new energy sources will require new storage and fuel infrastructures in ports, along with new safety procedures, training standards, and responsibility regimes, adding that shore power, energy efficiency, emissions measurement, and environmental performance will also gain increasing importance.
Yılmaz expressed that a significant part of the green transition will take place in ports, stating, 'The infrastructure we establish today must also serve the ships of the 2040s and 2050s.' Therefore, he emphasized that both legal and regulatory foresight should be taken into account in port planning alongside technology.
Yılmaz noted that the competition between ports cannot be evaluated solely based on handling fees; geographical location, hinterland connections, rail and road integration, operational efficiency, digital infrastructure, speed of customs procedures, environmental performance, and legal predictability are all collectively decisive factors.
He remarked that in the future, the quality of law will also be one of the elements of port competition, stating that a port that operates quickly but carries legal uncertainty cannot provide a sustainable competitive advantage; conversely, a port with strong infrastructure but unpredictable bureaucratic processes will find it difficult to be preferred in global logistics chains.
Yılmaz pointed out that a proper balance must be established between the public and private sectors in port management, explaining that the state will create the regulatory framework while the private sector will invest, innovate, and provide effective services within that framework.
He emphasized that while establishing the legal regime of ports, a balanced system must be created between excessive regulation and insufficient regulation, stating, 'Excessive regulation slows down trade. Insufficient regulation weakens safety and trust.'
Yılmaz stated that while building the ports of the future, a new maritime order is also being established for future generations, emphasizing that the success of this order depends on the collaboration of engineers, lawyers, mariners, public administrators, academics, and the private sector.
He noted that due to the global nature of maritime affairs, the legal system regulating it must also be as global, equitable, and predictable as possible, expressing that while technological advancement should be encouraged, safety and the human element should not be compromised, and commercial competition should not be distorted by legal means.
'Strong ports create strong trade; strong law creates trust. Trust is the invisible yet most valuable capital of international maritime trade.'
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
