Maritime and Cabotage Day celebrated

ISTANBUL

On the 97th anniversary of Türkiye’s gaining full independence over its territorial waters, Maritime and Cabotage Day has been celebrated with a ceremony held in front of the Atatürk Monument in Istanbul’s Sarayburnu.

Speaking at the ceremony, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül reminded that with the enactment of the Cabotage Law on July 1, 1926, Türkiye achieved absolute independence in its territorial waters.

“We have declared to the whole world that we are sovereign in our seas. We nationalized trade in our territorial waters, our blue homeland. We are honored to celebrate this day as Maritime and Cabotage Day, which has made a significant contribution to the development and progress of maritime affairs in our country for the past 97 years,” Gül said.

Gül also visited the tomb of Barbaros Hayreedin Pasha, an Ottoman admiral, and the Naval Museum in Beşiktaş.

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said that Cabotage Day is celebrated as the descendants of a nation that has historically dominated the seas, in his social media message.

After the ceremony, the colorful demonstrations of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety ships were watched with great interest. Citizens showed great enthusiasm by taking photographs of the performances.