What Does Cabotage Law Mean, What Is Its Importance? When Was the Cabotage Law Enforced?

Cabotage is the privilege that a state grants to its ports regarding maritime trade. Since only their citizens can benefit from this privilege, it will make a significant contribution to the national economy, so the states have resorted to imposing a cabotage ban on foreign flagged ships. Some international conventions also contain provisions regarding the authority to impose a ban on cabotage.

When Was the Cabotage Law Enforced?

The cabotage privilege granted by the Ottoman Empire to foreign ships within the framework of the capitulations was abolished in 1923 with the Lausanne Peace Treaty. It was also accepted on 20 April 1926. The Cabotage Law came into effect on July 1, 1926. According to this law; Keeping vehicles driven by machinery, sails and oars in rivers, lakes, the Sea of ​​Marmara and the straits, in all territorial waters and in gulfs, harbors, bays and similar places within them; Turkish citizens were given the right to transport goods and passengers with them. Also; It was stated that diving, piloting, captaining, engineering, crew and similar professions can be fulfilled by Turkish citizens. It was accepted that foreign ships could only carry people and cargo between Turkish ports and ports of foreign countries.

What Does Cabotage Law Mean, What Is Its Importance?

Cabotage, literally, is the name given to the privileges granted by states to their ports in maritime trade. Benefiting from privileges only by its own people makes a great contribution to the national economy. For this reason, states have the right to impose a ban on cabotage to foreign ships.

The Ottoman Empire applied some cabotage privileges to the ships of foreign countries with the capitulations. These privileges ended in 1923 with the Lausanne Peace Treaty. The Cabotage Law came into force on 1 July 1926.

According to the law; Only Turkish citizens have the right to have vehicles that move with sails, oars, machinery, and to transport goods or passengers with these vehicles in the Marmara Sea and the straits, lakes, all territorial waters, in all gulfs, ports, bays and similar places.