The purpose of our organization, which is the Relevant Institution of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and operates under the provisions of the Decree Law No. 233, and whose headquarters is in Istanbul, is to assist the safety of navigation of Turkish and foreign flagged vessels navigating in our seas and territorial waters, to provide services of coastal safety, salvage, pilotage and tugboat, to establish and operate related equipment and facilities, to render services such as rescue, salvage and assistance, towage, diver and wreck removal ,to make all kinds of investment regarding coastal radio stations, Automatic Identification System, dGPS and similar systems which were established and will be established for the safety of navigation, to operate those systems as monopoly.
Directorate General of Coastal Safety carries out its
activities in seven basic areas. DGCS is the authority in two of them.
Salvage at all seas by having monopoly within
specified area.
Rescue (life-saving)
Vessel Traffic Services (VTS Provider)
Authority of Lighthouses
Navtex Coordinator and Accounting Authority for
Maritime Communications
Pilotage Service
Tugboat Service
The Organization’s fields of activity are as follows:
1) To establish and operate the lighthouses, beacons, sea
marks, fog horns and all kinds of similar equipment, system and facilities as
monopoly, which were already founded and will be founded in Turkish coasts
regarding the safety of navigation.
2) To render salvage, assistance and towage services at
all seas including salvage and assistance services for the vessels more than
300 register tonnages having an accident and their cargoes as monopoly except
for war ships and auxiliary vessels, to operate as monopoly the rescue stations
(sea and land based lifeboat service) which have been founded and will be
founded, in Turkish territorial waters between Şile Lighthouse and Karaburun
Lighthouse in Black Sea, and in the Turkish territorial waters between Kemikli
area in Saros Bay and Bababurnu in Aegean Sea including Bozcaada and
Gökçeada(İmroz) coasts, and also in Black Sea, Çanakkale Strait and Marmara Sea
between these two borders.
3) To provide pilotage, tugboat, mooring and frogman
services, to remove shipwrecks within the frame of management principles.
4) To establish Vessel Traffic Services System for the
safety of navigation in our seas and territorial waters, and as monopoly in
Turkish Straits; to operate the system of Turkish Straits Vessel Traffic
Services(TSVTS) which has been established ; to meet all needs of this system
regarding service and make necessary investments for this purpose, to carry out
the services such as establishing, operating, controlling, monitoring and
certificating for the System of Vessel Traffic Services to be established in
future, when necessary.
5) To make all kinds of investment regarding coastal
radio stations, Automatic Identification System, dGPS and similar systems which
have been established and will be established for the safety of navigation in
our seas and territorial waters; to operate them as monopoly.
6) To provide air, marine and land vehicles regarding the
safety of navigation, salvage and maritime security, and to ensure all kinds of
maintenance, repair, renewal and equipment for these vehicles.
7) To carry out the collection and accrual of dues of
tariff-based services such as lighthouse, rescue, marine communication,
pilotage, tug boat, mooring, diver in return for services rendered; and to
collect fees related to salvage and other services.
8) To participate in local and foreign partnerships in
its purpose and fields of activity, to
establish or remove new partnerships, to open branches, stations and other
facilities inside and outside Türkiye, to
make all kinds of agreements, to establish and cancel a lien, to lease all
kinds of vehicle, movable and immovable
property and service.
9) To provide and enhance resources in order to conduct,
improve and introduce activities in line with the principle of efficiency.
10) To establish and cancel organization and enterprises
when needed, to take necessary actions regarding these works, to ensure that
budgets, tariffs and investments of subsidiaries and establishments comply with
general economy and maritime policies.
11) To take
precautions for training personnel in accordance with world standards at all
expertise areas and training subjects regarding the purposes of activity, to establish and operate training facilities,
to provide consultancy service, to receive consultancy service, if necessary,
in line with these purposes inside and outside Türkiye.
12) To perform other duties assigned by the relevant
Ministry.
Organization will fulfill these purposes and activities
directly or through the institutions, subsidiaries, affiliates and other units.
The purpose and fields of activity of the Organization
may be changed by the decision of the Higher Planning Council.
Our organization transfers a significant amount of resources
to the public due to legal obligations such as taxes, funds and dividends.
Directorate General of Coastal Safety provides a great
indirect contribution to the economy of the country due to its services. With
Vessel Traffic Services, Salvage / Assistance Services, Aids to Navigation
Services, Marine Communication Services, Pilotage and Tugboat Services, the
safety of navigation in our seas is improved and the marine environment is
protected from possible adverse effects of maritime traffic.
Major disasters may take place as a result of an
accident or sabotage that may occur during the transportation of dangerous
goods by tankers through Turkish Straits. It is certain that such a disaster
will put an end to the lives of millions of living creatures in the region. It
will also cause irreparable damage to the insurance, finance, industry, trade
and production sectors.
As an organization, we try to take the precautions at
the highest level by making all kinds of technological investments without
compromising the safety of navigation, so that our unique city of Istanbul,
which is a world heritage, does not encounter a disaster one day. However, the
accidents and breakdowns unfortunately show that this alone is not enough. It
is considered that the use of pipelines, another alternative transportation
type, can be a safer and uninterrupted model in terms of mitigating the
increasing dangers in the region. On the other hand, the insufficiency of the
ships' insurance, sub-standard vessels, human error and especially the
insufficient number of qualified personnel are other important problems we encounter
in marine accidents.
