Turkey's new shipbuilding regulations redefine standards for construction and maintenance, effective January 14, 2026, with clear compliance measures.
The 'Regulation on the Construction, Modification, and Maintenance-Repair of Ships and Watercraft' has been published in the Official Gazette.
Prepared by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the regulation was published in the Official Gazette dated January 14, 2026, and has come into effect. The new regulation redefines the technical qualifications, inspection, and certification procedures and principles that must be adhered to during the construction, modification, and maintenance-repair processes of ships and watercraft.
With the new regulation, the technical criteria, permissions, inspection, and certification principles regarding the construction, modification, and maintenance-repair processes of ships and watercraft have been redefined.
The regulation covers the construction, modification, and maintenance-repair activities of ships and watercraft carried out in Turkey and in free zones. Accordingly, the technical qualifications of businesses conducting these activities, as well as the registration and permission processes and inspection mechanisms, have been detailed.
Within the scope of the regulation, military ships and watercraft, as well as certain vehicles belonging to the Coast Guard Command, the General Command of Gendarmerie, the General Directorate of Security, and relevant public institutions, have been excluded from the regulation's scope. It is anticipated that operations to be conducted in free zones will be carried out under the coordination of the relevant Free Zone Directorates.
With the new regulation, the administrative sanctions and penalties to be applied for non-compliant practices have also been clarified. Additionally, the previous regulation dated November 7, 2015, has been repealed. Some provisions of the regulation will come into effect on the date of publication, while some articles will come into effect three months after the publication date.
Source: www.denizhaber.com
