An extract from 'Yachting World', March 2005 sent to me by Malcolm Brown :-

TURKEY ENFORCES POLLUTION FINES

Turkish authorities are imposing draconian anti-pollution laws and charging boat owners huge fines for such minor infringements as using soap in dishwater discharged directly from a sink, reports the Swedish Cruising Club. Worse, one owner has received a massive fine for pollution he strenuously disputes and for which he was offered no evidence.

At anchor in a sheltered bay, the motorboat crew was approached by a coastguard boat and told they had pumped out oily bilge water. The skipper strongly disputed this and there was no oily water to be seen.

The Swedish Cruising Club reports that the skipper was brought to an office for interrogation while his family were confined in the boat. A test was taken from a spoonful of water extracted from the bilge, a boat was dispatched to take another from the sea and the two samples were left unsealed outside the office for the rest of the day. The skipper was told a helicopter had videoed oil around his boat but was not shown the film or other evidence. He was told to pay a fine of 42,000 euros, failing which his boat would be confiscated and the amount doubled every month without payment.

The boatowner's insurance company engaged a lawyer in Istanbul and the boat was allowed to be moved to a nearby marina. The lawyer did not get access to any evidence either. He said the only theoretical possibility of getting money back was to sue the Government within seven days, but considered the suit hopeless as coastguards stated having seen a discharge. The insurance company paid up and are suing the Turkish government.

I have never visited Turkey myself. I have no doubt that Turkey is a very beautiful country with many lovely harbours and anchorages. However, the human rights record of the Turkish government leaves a lot to be desired. The example given above is not an isolated one, as I have heard several worrying cases of problems with the Turkish Authorities from yachting people I have encountered in the area. No doubt the majority of the time, all is well, but if problems with the authorities occur, they can be of a very serious nature!

From: Malcolm Brown
Yacht "WAIMANGU"
(Rival 34)
WAIMANGU#hotmail.com