The Turkish parliament has approved a carbon pricing mechanism for the shipping sector, allowing the country to tax emissions from ships entering and departing its ports.
The Turkish government is now expected to publish regulations about the types of vessels affected, emission fee rates, as well as procedures for monitoring, reporting, and verifying emissions.
The Turkish emissions trading scheme (ETS) is expected to align with the European Union’s ETS. Turkish ETS approval seems to be part of the country’s broader climate strategy.
Turkish ports have recently seen increased traffic. In particular, with the rise in European Union container transshipment traffic at Turkish ports, concerns have emerged that some box carriers might evade EU carbon taxes by using Türkiye as a transshipment hub.
In response, the new ETS by the country lying partly in Asia and partly in Europe is expected to align maritime trade regulations with the EU, addressing potential loopholes.
