NAVIGATION REGIME IN THE TURKISH STRAITS FOR MERCHANT SHIPS IN PEACETIME - SAFETY, ENVIRONMENTAL-PROTECTION AND HIGH POLITICS

The strategically and politically important Turkish Straits have in re cent years seen great increases in the volume and size of shipping tra ffic, Several serious tanker accidents in these navigationally difficu lt waters have fed genuine Turkish safety and environmental protection concerns, This article examines Turkey's proposals for IMO-adopted me asures in the Straits to meet these problems and the measures actually adopted, It then examines the new Turkish national traffic regulation s and the guidance on their implementation and assesses their compatib ility with both the IMO measures and applicable international law, inc luding the 1936 Montreux Convention.