A Primer On The Montreux Convention

This is just a short primer on the Montreux Convention that regulates the passage of Merchant and warship through the Turkish Straits.

Signed on 20 July 1936, The Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits gives Turkey full control over the Turkish Straits, guarantees the free passage of civilian vessels in peacetime and permits Turkey to remilitarise the Turkish Straits.

1. The aim of the Montreux Convention is to regulate the passage of civilian and military ships through the Turkish Straits.
2. The term Turkish Straits covers the Dardanelles, the Marmara Sea and the Bosporus.
3. The Convention makes a clear differentiation between Black Sea countries (Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia) and non-Black Sea countries.
4. Merchant vessels enjoy total freedom of passage through the Turkish Straits.  Turkish Straits Vessel Traffic Services Centre regulates the passages according to the Maritime Traffic Regulations for the Turkish Straits dated 1998.
5. The Black Sea Countries;
   • cannot pass warships solely designed to carry airplanes through Turkish Straits.
   • can pass submarines if they are joining their base in the Black Sea for the first time after their construction or purchase, or if they are returning from a repair in dockyards outside the Black Sea.
   • can pass their warships through Turkish Straits by notifying Turkey through diplomatic channels 8 days before the passage.
6. The Non-Black Sea Countries;
   • cannot pass warships solely designed to carry airplanes through Turkish Straits.
   • cannot pass submarines.
   • can pass warships, but the aggregate displacement of the foreign warships in the Black Sea may not exceed 45.000 tons.
   • cannot hold their ships in the Black Sea longer than 21 days.
   • cannot have more than 9 ships in the Black Sea at the same time
   • can pass their warships through Turkish Straits by notifying Turkey through diplomatic channels 15 days before the passage.

For further reading:

• The full text of the Montreux Convention can be found here.
• The official Turkish stand of the implementation of  the Montreux Convention can be found here.