Minister Uraloğlu: 193 coastal facilities handling dangerous cargo were inspected

In his written statement, Minister Uraloğlu gave information about the work on coastal facilities.

Stating that they regularly inspect 174 coastal facilities with dangerous cargo handling permits across Türkiye, Uraloğlu stated that it is meticulously monitored whether coastal facilities handling hazardous cargo maintain the conditions specified in the legislation.

Regarding the renewal inspections carried out last year, Uraloğlu said, "We carried out 108 field inspections last year by our General Directorate of Maritime Affairs and port authorities. We also subjected 85 coastal facilities to unscheduled inspections. Thus, we carried out a total of 193 inspections during the year." he said.

Uraloğlu stated that a project was carried out with the European Maritime Safety Agency to ensure the loading safety of solid bulk cargoes, and that legislative studies on loading safety are continuing, and added: "We have reached the final stage of our comprehensive work to minimize loading-related accidents on ships." he said.

The weight of full containers is verified before loading

Uraloğlu stated that in line with the rules of the International Maritime Organization, the gross weights of full containers to be loaded on ships must be determined and verified by the shipper, and pointed out that incorrect weight declaration and incorrect loading can negatively affect ship stability and lead to serious maritime accidents and environmental damage.

Uraloğlu stated that they verify the declared weights of the containers with the Verified Gross Weight (DBA) System, thus ensuring the safe loading of the ships and maintaining their stability.

Uraloğlu stated that the weighing machine operators issued with a Full Container Gross Weight Determination Authorization Certificate use weighing instruments certified by the Ministry of Industry and Technology and whose accuracy has been confirmed by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. "In this context, we have 385 active weighing instrument operators with an authorization certificate. 32 of them operate in our coastal facilities. As of the end of 2025, the number of documents issued through the DBA System reached 2 million 433 thousand 870." he said.

Uraloğlu stated that coastal facilities can query the issued documents via barcode or QR code or via the DBA System.

Stating that Türkiye is the second country that handles the most cargo in Europe, Uraloğlu said:

"Last year, we handled 553.3 million tons of cargo in our ports. 41.9 percent of this, 231 million 991 thousand 223 tons, were dangerous cargo. We do not allow hazardous cargo to be handled in our ports without providing the necessary conditions and taking adequate safety measures. We protect the safety of life, property and the environment with our regular inspections, and ensure that our maritime trade continues safely and uninterruptedly."