UK Club’s Correspondent Vitsan has reported amendments and new provisions in the Turkish Environmental Law for Marine Pollution Incidents. These amendments were published in the Official Gazette on June 15th 2022.
The list of Category 4 pollutants, previously garbage and sewage discharge from the vessel, has been expanded to include:
New higher fines levels have been introduced for smaller vessels in respect of Category 4 pollution incidents.
Fines have also been introduced for use of fuels with sulphur content exceeding IMO designated limits.
If a marine pollution occurs within the “Special Environmental Protection Area” which is defined as The Marmara Sea (including the Istanbul Strait, Canakkale Strait and Izmit Bay), the potential level of fines will be doubled.
Terminals and Shore facilities will also be subjected to fines for failure to report pollution incidents.
