Interesting changes in Turkey

[Squeaky]

Good morning:

I received an interesting e-mail from a friends who keep their yacht at Turgutries (north of Bodrum) mentioning three events which had occurred there which were causing them some concern.

1. On Thursday, the people we cruised with last autumn went to pay for
their lift out only to be told by marina staff that a new rule has
been introduced by customs requiring 200 tl to be paid into a bank and
"a form" completed and signed for customs before the marina could lift
the boat

2. When the sail repair men were returning my sails yesterday they were stopped by
marina security and asked of the reason for their visit when they were
trying to come into the marina as per usual. The 2 lads were directed
to customs who told them that they and I have broken the
law with possible punishment of large fines and up to 12 months
imprisonment for removing property from a foreign flagged boat without
the proper customs documentation and appropriate fees being first
paid. The lads rang their boss who spoke to the customs officers and
agreed no action this time and they were allowed to return my sail.
The quote which got to me was that "nothing, not even a screw, can be
taken off any foreign flagged boat" without prior authorisation and fee payment.

3. SWMBO's cousin has come out for a week's holiday and we are hoping
to take him out on the boat. Whilst chatting to a local agent, I
mentioned this only to be told of the importance of putting him on the
transit log despite him only being a guest and not crew. The agent
claimed that the coastguard is pulling boats and issuing large fines
to boats found with people on board who are not on the transit log and
any other discrepancies. I checked with a second agent who confirmed
this as being correct and who also stressed the importance of removing
him from the log once he has left. All of this comes with a fee of
50 euro per transaction i.e. to take the guy out sailing for a couple of hours
would cost 100 euro not to mention the admin hassle.|

There has not been any mention locally of the strict enforcement of these rules and I am wondering if this just an example of someone locally deciding to make a name for him/herself.

Cheers

Squeaky

 

[Niander]

WEll reading all that im sure glad im in the UK

 

[RichardS]

It sounds like thousands of foreign registered boats in Turkey and Greece will be on their way to Croatia shortly.

Please don't bother .... the weather here is carp, the sailing is carp, the food is carp, the beer is carp and the people are carp. Keep away is my advice! :encouragement:

Richard

 

[KellysEye]

Sounds like the marina staff have introduced extortion with threats, perhaps your friends should tell the police about it. I think the transit log is correct all on board should be on it.

 

[macd]

1. Beats me, unless someone has decided vessels ashore must be in customs bond.

2. I believe this is technically correct, but taken to lunatic extremes. Anything (including, indeed, even a screw, and even a knackered old screw) if left in Turkey is subject to customs duties and VAT. The regulations are little different were a Turkish vessel to visit the UK. (Or a Turkish lorry - remember the good old days of carnets? :ambivalence But sense has generally prevailed.

3. Again, I think technically correct (although it's been a couple of years since we've cruised in Turkey, so the memory is hazy).

My suspicion (and hope) is that its just some local idiot flexing his muscles, or just grotesquely getting the wrong end of the stick. It happens in many places on a regular basis: Spain currently with the MARPOL scare, Greece with its new DEKPA.

 

[NornaBiron]

What's the MARPOL reference to Mac?

 

[Jassira]

It sounds like thousands of foreign registered boats in Turkey and Greece will be on their way to Croatia shortly.

Please don't bother .... the weather here is carp, the sailing is carp, the food is carp, the beer is carp and the people are carp. Keep away is my advice! :encouragement:

Richard

A bit fishy in Croatia is it ?

 

[RobbieW]

What's the MARPOL reference to Mac?

MARPOL most likely refers to Marine Pollution. Spain have had a holding tank requirement for local leisure craft for about 10 years so perhaps they are having a crackdown which may include foreign flagged boats

 

[macd]

What's the MARPOL reference to Mac?

Hi gang.
Just checked and it's from a thread on the CA MedNet. A member related advice given in Spain that he needed a MARPOL certificate, declaring that he had correctly disposed of any used oils, oil filters etc. (There was a later suggestion from another member that you actually sign to the same effect when applying for a DEKPA although, not having got one yet, I can't say.)

It seems not to have popped up widely, so is perhaps a one-off. Or perhaps nothing at all.

 

[vyv_cox]

Hi gang.
Just checked and it's from a thread on the CA MedNet. A member related advice given in Spain that he needed a MARPOL certificate, declaring that he had correctly disposed of any used oils, oil filters etc. (There was a later suggestion from another member that you actually sign to the same effect when applying for a DEKPA although, not having got one yet, I can't say.)

It seems not to have popped up widely, so is perhaps a one-off. Or perhaps nothing at all.

We have been asked to fill in a form with all of this information at a couple of ports in Greece. Seems to be a standard form with tick boxes. Nobody questioned our answers.

 

[Mr Cassandra]

It sounds like thousands of foreign registered boats in Turkey and Greece will be on their way to Croatia shortly.

Please don't bother .... the weather here is carp, the sailing is carp, the food is carp, the beer is carp and the people are carp. Keep away is my advice! :encouragement:

Richard

It would be good idea if they proceeded quickly west to enjoy the Ionian .horrible wind and large sea around here.

 

[shan]

It sounds like thousands of foreign registered boats in Turkey and Greece will be on their way to Croatia shortly.

Please don't bother .... the weather here is carp, the sailing is carp, the food is carp, the beer is carp and the people are carp. Keep away is my advice! :encouragement:

Richard

Sounds like you are floundering about the plaice....

 

[ctva]

How do we (UK) treat foreign leisure boats here?

 

[macd]

How do we (UK) treat foreign leisure boats here?

In general, more onerously than the Turks treat EU boats - but certainly not to the extent described in the opening post (assuming that by "foreign" you mean non-EU). See also my post #5.

 

[Resolution]

I have just returned from a couple of super weeks afloat in Turkey, including the annual service trip to Turgutreis for haul out and anti foul. We were indeed required to hand over our Transit log to the marina (D- Marin) who in turn had to deposit it with the local Customs office. Before re-launching we paid a small charge , may have been TL200 but afraid I cannot remember now, to reclaim the Transit log. Not a big sum compared to all the other costs!!
Whilst ashore I renewed the Transit log and on the new one I entered the passport details of all the crew coming out during the year. To be fair, my agent did say that I should do a separate log for each trip, so that the log agreed exactly with persons on board at any time. However at Euro 60 per log and given the difficulty of getting a new log stamped I over ruled my agent and listed the whole lot, about 15 names.
Next day, a few miles out, we were stopped by a coastguard cutter and asked to hand over all our papers. After a tense half hour, rolling and banging against their hull, everything was handed back with smiles and we were allowed on our way. In fact they were perfectly polite at all times, the difficulties were first in my deaf ears understanding their instructions over the VHF, and in coming alongside at sea.
This is the first time in three years that we have been stopped, but there are now several coastguard cutters out all the time, plus a few small grey fellows. Tense times.

 

[alexsailor]

bureaucracy is going to kill us...

 

[jimbaerselman]

Good morning:

I received an interesting e-mail from a friends who keep their yacht at Turgutries (north of Bodrum) mentioning three events which had occurred there which were causing them some concern.

<big snip>

Cheers

Squeaky

Hi Sqeaky,

What nationality was the boat?

If a non-EU boat, then all the usual rules about customs bonded boats could be applied.

If a VAT paid and EU registered boat, the EU shares a customs union with Turkey. This type of action would then be inappropriate.

 

[Resolution]

Hi Sqeaky,

What nationality was the boat?

If a non-EU boat, then all the usual rules about customs bonded boats could be applied.

If a VAT paid and EU registered boat, the EU shares a customs union with Turkey. This type of action would then be inappropriate.

Jim
My boat is UK flagged and VAT paid.
Unfortunately I do not have copies of the paperwork that went with the temporary deposit of my Transit log with customs while the boat was on the hard at Turgutreis. I think Customs kept it all, and the money, but at least I got the Transit log back.
Peter