The “Vessel Traffic Services System” to be established in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has reached the signature stage.

The contract for the project will be signed by the Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and the Minister of Public Works and Transportation Erhan Arıklı at a ceremony to be held in Ankara on January 23.

According to the statement made by the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the Vessel Traffic Services System Project will be implemented in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in order to protect the interests of the country in the Blue Homeland and to monitor the maritime traffic between the two countries.

The project will be included in the investment program of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Türkiye, while the work on the project will be carried out by the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye.

The signing ceremony of the contract for the project will be held in Ankara on January 23 with the participation of the Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and TRNC Minister of Public Works and Transportation Erhan Arıklı.

The system will increase Türkiye’s effectiveness in the Eastern Mediterranean and ensure that ship movements in this region are actively detected and transferred to an integrated picture.

With the data collected in the system and sent to the Vessel Traffic Services Center, tasks such as preventing smuggling, informing those concerned in emergencies such as accidents and fires, supporting the fight against oil pollution and sharing meteorological data with ships when necessary will be carried out

In the TRNC, cooperation will be carried out with HAVELSAN to establish a Vessel Traffic Services System consisting of a Vessel Traffic Services System Center in Gazimağusa and three traffic monitoring stations in Karpaz, Sadrazamköy and the Zeytinlik Lighthouse.

While the project is planned to be completed within 2 years, the tender process for the system has come to an end.