National MSP Authorities
Presidency of Republic of Türkiye
The Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye is the sole authorized institution responsible for the declaration and implementation of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) in Türkiye. As the highest executive authority, the Presidency holds the exclusive mandate to develop, approve, and oversee MSP policies, ensuring alignment with national interests, economic priorities, and environmental sustainability. It coordinates with relevant ministries, agencies, and stakeholders to establish a comprehensive MSP framework, integrating maritime security, resource management, and international obligations. Any MSP initiative in Türkiye must be formally issued and enforced under the direct authority of the Presidency.
When establishind and developing spatial plans, it is necessary to cooperate with the ministries dealing with specific MSP related topics. Some of these ministries and the ways they sought cooperation are exemplified below.
Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Türkiye is authorized to ensure that maritime navigation and inland waterway transport activities are carried out in an efficient, fast, convenient, safe and high-quality standards. While doing so, the Ministry has a duty to ensure that maritime navigation and inland waterway transport activities are carried out in an efficient, fast, convenient, safe, and high-quality standards. Additionally, the Ministry has a duty to ensure that such activities do not cause adverse environmental impacts. The Ministry observes that the activities serve to public interest, foster a free, fair, and sustainable competitive environment, in line with commercial, economic, social needs, and technical developments. The Ministry also ensures that these activities complement and integrate with other modes of transportation.
The Ministry may contribute through information on general practices regarding the evaluation of facilities planned to be established in Turkish maritime areas and coastal zones. In this context, facilities planned to be established in maritime areas can be evaluated based on criteria affecting navigational safety and maritime traffic, such as their distance from local and international maritime traffic, nearby facilities, and coastal structures (ports, piers, breakwaters, hotels, etc.). As a result of this evaluation, an approval is granted to facilities determined not to have a negative impact on navigational safety or the safety of life and property at sea. One more condition for granting such approval is the requirement for the facility owner/operator to provide a commitment stating that, in the event of changes in maritime traffic in the future and if the approved facility obstructs navigation, they will relocate the facility to a suitable location without raising any objections.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry is authorized to
- coordinate necessary activities regarding maritime issues related to Türkiye’s national sovereignty under international law, and
- carry out navigational activities related to the Turkish Straits and the Black Sea, including the monitoring of the Montreux Convention, in cooperation with relevant institutions and organizations.
Ministry of National Defense
The Ministry is authorized to:
- carry out activities related to the humanitarian clearance of mines and/or unexploded ordnance to be carried out within the borders of the Republic of Türkiye, in accordance with the principles, priorities, and main programs identified by the General Staff and approved by the Minister of National Defense, within the framework of the Defense policy to be determined by the President of the Republic of Türkiye.
- carry out activities related to military factories and shipyards, as well as Defense industry services, in accordance with the principles, priorities, and main programs identified by the General Staff and approved by the Minister of National Defense, within the framework of the Defense policy to be determined by the President of the Republic of Türkiye.
- execute activities under the Law No. 4536 on the Principles to be Applied to Explosive Materials and Suspected Objects Found in the Seas and on Land, dated 24/02/2000.
The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Türkiye may provide the exact coordinates of existing military security zones in areas where its affiliated units are stationed, as well as the training areas where activities conducted by the Naval and Air Force Commands take place.
Ministry of Culture and Tourism
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye is authorized to protect historical and cultural assets.
The Ministry may contribute to MSP process with an analysis of Türkiye’s strategies for the protection and management of underwater cultural heritage including underwater shipwrecks, and other cultural assets requiring protection to restrictions imposed on diving and energy projects in these areas. Besides that, the Ministry has its jurisdiction to protect the natural reefs.
Additionally, the legal framework for protecting underwater cultural heritage under Law No. 2863 on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets aims to prevent activities that could damage these areas. The Ministry may collaborate to avoid conflicts with other maritime sectors, such as fisheries and energy projects, and discuss practical measures like designating restricted diving areas.
Furthermore, the economic dimensions of maritime tourism and MSP may be assessed, to offer insights into how tourism potential and sustainable conservation policies can be integrated within the MSP framework.
Ministry of Interior
Turkish Coast Guard Command under the Ministry of Interior is responsible for all maritime areas from the coastal line including ports and port facilities within these areas, other facilities serving them, marinas, fishing shelters, slipways, fish traps, piers, docks, and other similar coastal structures, as well as anchorage areas, These areas also cover internal waters of the Marmara Sea, Turkish Straits, ports and bays, territorial waters, and rivers from their mouths to the point where the coast guard ships and boats can enter or reach within internal waters, exclusive economic zone, and maritime areas under sovereignty and control according to national and international law. The Command has also duties related to the protection of sovereign rights in international waters and within the Turkish search and rescue area declared to the International Maritime Organization under international treaties.
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye is authorized to
- carry out activities for the development of policies aimed at the conservation of nature, to identify protected areas, and to ensure the protection, management, development, operation, and oversight of national parks, nature parks, nature monuments, nature conservation areas, wetlands, biodiversity, and the protection and management of hunting and wildlife.
- update and record the data on fishing, hunting, and socio-economic activities of traditional coastal fishing in maritime and inland waters.
- implement the “Regulation on the Registration and Support of Traditional Coastal Fisheries” organized to establish the procedures and principles regarding the support for fishing vessel owners for the years 2021 and 2022, aimed at ensuring sustainable management.
In order to contribute to Türkiye’s MSP efforts, the Ministry may provide a comprehensive analysis of the sustainable development of the aquaculture and fisheries sectors. The current state of marine living resources and future goals for their conservation and sustainable use may be assessed through MSP. Emphasizing that minimizing environmental impacts in the designation of aquaculture zones, preventing potential conflicts with other sectors, and highlighting the economic benefits that MSP can provide.
The Ministry conducts studies to identify sustainable production areas in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and the Aegean Sea. Türkiye holds a significant position in global aquaculture production, reaching a production capacity of 556,000 tons as of 2023, and aims to maintain its leadership through sustainability-oriented policies.
The identification of new potential aquaculture sites is being carried out in accordance with Fisheries Law No. 1380; however, conflicts with other institutions in certain areas need resolution.
Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources
The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Türkiye is authorized to carry out all hydrocarbon resource operations such as exploration, exploitation, transportation, storage, and refining both domestically and, when necessary, abroad, within the framework of the Türkiye’s general energy and petroleum policy, and to conduct seismic, drilling, well completion, workover, and other related service activities required for exploration, production, transportation, and storage in maritime areas, either directly or by outsourcing, as well as to operate or invest in ship and port management, and to construct/contract and establish/contract and operate/manage all facilities and infrastructure required for ship and port operations.
Türkiye’s maritime areas have hydrocarbon potential. The Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Aegean Sea (Gulf of Saros), and the Marmara Sea have been identified as key regions where Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) plans to conduct current and future exploration activities, including seismic data collection and drilling operations under existing and upcoming licenses.
In cases where multiple energy sources exist or conflicts arise between the activities of different ministries and those of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the final decision may be determined through a joint resolution of the relevant ministries, institutions, and organizations, considering Türkiye’s strategic priorities.
Furthermore, under the Agreement on Cooperation for the Construction and Operation of a Nuclear Power Plant at the Akkuyu Site in the Republic of Türkiye, signed in Ankara on May 12, 2010, and ratified by Law No. 6007 on July 15, 2010, 400-meter zone from the coastal boundary of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant site has been designated as a “Special Security Zone” under the provisions of the Military Forbidden Zones and Security Zones Regulation. Unless otherwise specified in future agreements, the same procedure may be applied to other nuclear power plant projects upon their implementation through new agreements.
Ministry of Trade
To contribute to Türkiye’s MSP work, the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye may provide Türkiye’s international port gates and the customs directorates serving these gates. It is clear that, under Free Zones Law No. 3218 and current legislation, some free zones designated as planned investment areas by Presidential Decree include maritime zones.
Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change
The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Republic of Türkiye is authorized to
- conduct, commission, and approve integrated coastal zone management and planning studies, including the regulation of coastal areas, geological and geotechnical surveys related to these areas, as well as determining, approving, and registering the administrative boundary line.
- conduct, commission, and officially approve studies, maps, and plans of all types and scales related to coastal and reclaimed areas, as well as their functional and physical hinterlands, and ensure their implementation.
- determine the procedures and principles for the registration, approval, and declaration of national parks, nature parks, nature monuments, nature conservation areas, wetlands, and other areas with similar protection status, and to register the boundaries of these areas.
- determine the procedures and principles for the identification, registration, approval, modification, and declaration of natural heritage sites, natural protected areas, and special environmental protection zones, and to identify, register, manage, and ensure the management of the boundaries of these areas,
- determine the policy decisions regarding the use and construction in national parks, nature parks, nature monuments, nature conservation areas, natural protected areas, wetlands, special environmental protection zones, and other areas with similar protection status, and to prepare, implement, modify, approve, or ensure the implementation of environmental planning, zoning, and development plans at all types and scales.
- determine the principles for the protection and public use of seas, natural and artificial lakes, and riverbanks, as well as coastal zones affected by and forming a continuation of these areas, while considering their natural and cultural characteristics.
The Ministry can play a crucial role in MSP through its expertise in integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) and environmental sustainability projects. The Ministry is responsible for ensuring that marine and coastal planning efforts are aligned with ecological conservation, climate adaptation, and sustainable development goals. Through various ICZM projects, it develops policies to balance economic activities, such as tourism and maritime industries, with environmental protection measures. Additionally, the Ministry conducts environmental impact assessments, marine ecosystem monitoring, and coastal resilience studies, integrating them into MSP strategies. By addressing land-sea interactions, the Ministry may contribute to the creation of a holistic and scientifically grounded framework for MSP, ensuring the sustainable use of Türkiye’s marine and coastal resources.
