Conditions, Security, Prevention of Departure, and Objection Process
1. Concept of Maritime Claim and the Basis of Precautionary Attachment Request
Pursuant to the Turkish Commercial Code (TCC) No. 6102, a precautionary attachment of a ship can only be ordered for “maritime claims” explicitly listed in TCC Article 1352. According to TCC Article 1353, it is not permissible to request a preliminary injunction on a ship or to prevent its departure in any other way for the purpose of securing maritime claims; the only legal recourse available is precautionary attachment. Maritime claims include items such as the operation, maintenance, fuel supply of the ship, seafarers’ wages, disputes arising from the ship’s sales contract and environmental damages.
2. Application Process and Approximate Proof Condition
The creditor requesting the precautionary attachment of a ship must, pursuant to TCC Article 1362, present evidence to the court convincing it that their claim is a maritime claim and state the monetary value of the claim.
Standard of Proof: Full proof is not required; “prima facie proof” is sufficient. The creditor must establish conviction in court with evidence such as contracts, invoices, documents bearing the ship’s captain’s signature and seal, survey reports, email correspondence, or proforma invoices.
Competent and Authorized Court: The competent courts are specialized maritime commercial courts (Civil Courts of Commerce). Jurisdiction, on the other hand, is determined according to the authority of the port where the ship is located.
3. Obligation to Deposit Security
Pursuant to Article 1363/1 of the TCC, the creditor requesting a preliminary injunction must provide cash or a bank guarantee letter amounting to 10,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) (or its TL equivalent) to cover potential damages that may be incurred by the debtor and third parties. (SDR (Special Drawing Right) is an international accounting unit valued daily according to the IMF’s currency basket of USD–EUR–CNY–JPY–GBP. As of January 28, 2026, 1 SDR ≈ 59.87 TL, accordingly, 10,000 SDR ≈ 598,734 TL; as the exchange rate may fluctuate during the day, the SDR/TL exchange rate on the day of the court hearing or enforcement shall be taken as a basis.)
Exception: In preliminary injunctions requested for seamen’s wage claims and repatriation expenses, the creditor is not required to deposit security (TCC Art. 1363/2).
Increase in Security: The debtor may request the court to increase the security by claiming daily operating expenses and loss of profits incurred due to the ship’s detention.
4. Enforcement of the Decision and Prohibition from Sailing
After a precautionary attachment order is obtained, strict deadlines and procedures must be observed during the enforcement phase:
Enforcement Period: The creditor must request enforcement from the enforcement office within the jurisdiction of the court that issued the decision or where the ship is located, within three business days from the date of the decision. Otherwise, the decision shall automatically lapse (Turkish Commercial Code Article 1364).
Prohibition from Sailing: In accordance with Article 1366 of the Turkish Commercial Code, ships for which a precautionary attachment has been decided shall be prohibited from sailing and taken into custody by the enforcement officer, regardless of their flag. Prohibition from sailing is a natural consequence and a preservation measure of a precautionary attachment; there is no need to request it separately from the court.
Registry Notification: The precautionary attachment order shall be notified to the register where the ship is registered (or to the Port Registry) on the first business day it is enforced. However, merely entering an annotation in the register is not sufficient; the actual attachment of the ship (prohibition from sailing) is mandatory.
5. Proceedings Completing the Precautionary Attachment (Complementary Procedures)
In provisional attachments concerning maritime claims, there is a different regulation than the general periods specified in the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law (EBL). Pursuant to Article 1376 of the Turkish Commercial Code (TCC), the creditor must file the main action or initiate enforcement proceedings within one month from the enforcement of the provisional attachment decision. The 7-day period in EBL Article 264 does not apply to maritime claims.
6. Objection and Lifting of Attachment
Objection: The debtor may object to the provisional attachment by applying to the court within seven days from the notification of the attachment record (EBL Article 265). The grounds for objection are; limited to the reasons on which the attachment is based, the court’s jurisdiction, and the security. Objections based on substantive law regarding the merits or the exact amount of the claim are not heard at this stage.
Lifting Against Security: Pursuant to Article 1371 of the TCC, the debtor may request that the attachment on the ship be lifted and transferred to security, provided that sufficient security is shown for the entire claim, interest, and expenses, not exceeding the value of the ship.
7. Additional Information Obtained from Secondary Sources
Judicial decisions, acting as secondary sources, provide the following additional contexts regarding the provisional attachment of a ship:
Sister Ship Attachment: Pursuant to Article 1369/2 of the TCC, it is also possible to attach other ships (sister ships) belonging to the person who was the owner, charterer, or operator of the original ship when the claim arose. In this case, the ship registry records and the approximate proof of the ship-owner relationship are of critical importance.
Jurisdiction of Courts: Since the wage claims of seafarers working on Turkish-flagged vessels of a certain size are subject to the Maritime Labor Law, Labor Courts may have jurisdiction in such provisional attachment requests. The issue of jurisdiction is a matter of public order and is considered ex officio by the court.
Obstacle of Lien Right: A decision for provisional attachment concerning commodities that may be subject to a lien by law (e.g., fuel receivables arising from a time charter party contract) may be rejected due to the priority of the lien right.
Foreign Flagged Vessels: Turkish law (Turkish Commercial Code Articles 1364-1368) also applies to the attachment of foreign-flagged vessels, and the enforcement officer prohibits the vessel from sailing regardless of its flag. A paper suggestion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Deniz Alacağı Nedir ve Neden Sadece İhtiyati Haciz Yoluna Gidilebilir?
Türk Ticaret Kanunu, hangi alacakların deniz alacağı sayılacağını sınırlı olarak düzenlemiştir. Gemi işletilmesi, bakım ve onarım giderleri, yakıt tedariki, gemi adamı ücretleri, geminin satışından doğan uyuşmazlıklar ve çevre zararları bu kapsamda yer alır. Kanun açıkça şunu söyler: Deniz alacakları için gemi üzerine ihtiyati tedbir konulamaz, gemi başka bir yolla seferden men edilemez.
Tek hukuki yol ihtiyati hacizdir. Bu kural, alacaklının yanlış hukuki yola başvurması halinde talebin reddedilmesine neden olabilecek kadar kesindir.
Gemi ihtiyati haczi için mutlaka deniz alacağı mı gerekir?
Evet. Deniz alacağı dışında kalan alacaklar için gemi ihtiyati haczi talep edilemez. Mahkeme bu hususu re’sen inceler.
Gemi ihtiyati haczinde tam ispat şart mı?
Hayır. Yaklaşık ispat yeterlidir. Mahkemenin kanaat oluşturması yeterli kabul edilir.
Gemi haczi alındıktan sonra seferden men otomatik olarak mı uygulanır?
Evet. Gemi hakkında ihtiyati haciz kararı verildiğinde, seferden men işlemi ayrıca talep edilmesine gerek olmaksızın otomatik olarak uygulanır. Türk Ticaret Kanunu’na göre seferden men, ihtiyati haczin doğal ve zorunlu bir sonucudur. İcra müdürlüğü, haciz kararını infaz ederken geminin fiilen sefer yapmasını engeller ve gemiyi muhafaza altına alır.
Yabancı bayraklı gemiler Türkiye’de ihtiyati hacze konu edilebilir mi?
Evet. Yabancı bayraklı gemiler de Türkiye’de ihtiyati hacze konu edilebilir ve bu gemiler hakkında da Türk Ticaret Kanunu hükümleri uygulanır. Geminin Türk bayraklı veya yabancı bayraklı olması, ihtiyati haciz kararı verilmesine engel değildir. Gemi Türkiye limanlarında, karasularında veya Türk liman başkanlığının fiili denetim alanı içindeyse; deniz alacağına dayalı olarak ihtiyati haciz kararı alınabilir ve icra müdürü tarafından gemi bayrağına bakılmaksızın seferden men edilir. Uygulamada yabancı bayraklı gemiler için de sicil bildirimi yapılır, ancak esas olan geminin fiilen haczedilmesi ve hareketinin durdurulmasıdır.
Why is Expert Lawyer Support Necessary During the Ship Provisional Attachment Process?
Ship provisional attachment is a process that is extremely time-sensitive, technical, and has an international dimension. Incorrect court, insufficient evidence, faulty time calculation, or wrong legal path selection can lead to the creditor losing their strongest hand from the outset. Especially in cases managed without the support of an Istanbul maritime trade lawyer or a Tuzla maritime trade lawyer, the following risks are commonly observed:
Missing the 3-business-day execution period
Incorrect application of the 1-month supplementary formality period
Wrong security strategy
Missing the opportunity for sister ship arrest
Lifting of attachment on procedural grounds. The **Tuzla shipyards region** is the center for ship maintenance and repair claims. For companies operating in this region, working with a lawyer proficient in maritime trade law is of vital importance. At this point, **2M Hukuk**, by offering **strategic and preventative legal consultancy** in ship arrest, maritime claims, sister ship arrest, security, and collection processes, aims to effectively protect the claim.
