TURKISH SHIPPING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 95, 16 January 1919, Page 5

TURKISH SHIPPING

Among the terms of the armistice with Turkey we "find the- demand for the surrender of all war vessels in Turkish waters, or in waters occupied by Turkey, and the free use by Allied ships of all ports and. anchorages now in Turkish occupation, and denial of their use by the enemy, 'in spite of the long extent of sea-board of what was the Turkish Empire, Turkey has never been much of a seafaring nation'. Though communication between Constantinople and the distant parts of the empire lias mainly required to be made by sea, yet Turkey has depended for her coastal navigation mostly on British and Greek shipping. During the period immediately preceding the war some efforts wero made to secure for Turkey «. merchant fleet, -but these .efforts were arrested by the outbreak of war. Facilities for Hie repair of ships in Turkey are insignificant, the only Tepairing yards of any consequence being those of the Ottoman Company of Docks and at the- Upper ]3osphorus, which possesses ship-repairing plant and two floating docks at Stenia, and the plants of two local navigation companies, the Shir-Koit-Kairich, tind the company of the Golden Horn. There is not much likelihood of a revival of shipbuilding trado in what is left of Turkey, l states tho "Shipping World," for the country possesses neither iron nor steel, and any ships could bo belter constructed in foreign shipyards. A certain amount , of wooden ship'bulding might be carried on, only all the plant for the equipment of the ships would have to bo imported. "Whatever may be the future of Turkey under her new conditions, ehe is not likely to becoino a great maritime nation,