NEWSLETTER-2019-metin

378 NEWSLETTER 2019 Regulation on Pilotage and Towage Services* Att. Ecem Cetinyilmaz Introduction The Regulation on Pilotage and Towage Services (“Regulation”) was published in the Official Gazette dated 31 December 2018 and numbered 30642 (bis 4) and entered into force as of the same date. The Regulation introduces a two-level permit mechanism for pilotage and towage organisations, namely operations licences and service permits, and regulates the conditions thereof. This Newsletter provides a gen- eral framework of such requirements, conditions and consequences for the failure thereof, as well as other restrictive provisions of the Regulation. Operations Licenses Article 5 of the Regulation requires all organizations to obtain a suitable operations license in order to provide pilotage and towage services on behalf of the General Directorate of Maritime and Inland Waters Regulation (“Administration”). Operations licenses to provide pilotage and towage services shall be issued by the Administration under the categories of A, B and C. Organizations under the category A operations licenses are entitled to provide services in all service areas, having the category B operations license in category B and C service areas, and having the category C operations license in category C service areas, only. The Administration is to determine such categories and, within one month following the publication of the Regulation, is to announce the service areas. As per Article 9/2 of the Regulation, pilotage and towage organizations shall have 30 (thirty) calendar days to make an application to obtain an operations license in order to provide pilotage * Article of July 2019