Crewing office
Danica office in Türkiye
Danica Crewing Specialists is able to supply your ships with a range of competent crew of many different nationalities.
Here is some information to help you decide who best suits your needs.
Türkiye fact sheet
- Location
Transcontinental country bridging Europe and Asia; coasts on the Black Sea, Aegean and Mediterranean
- Area
783,562 km²
- Population
~85.7 million (2025 est.)
- Capital
Ankara
- Currency
Turkish Lira (TRY)
- Official language
Turkish
- Seafaring workforce
~38,000 officers, ~96,000 ratings — total ~134,000 active seafarers (2025 est.).
Source note: figures are based on combined data from the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure – Directorate General of Maritime Affairs, Chamber of Shipping industry reports and sector estimates for 2025.
- Maritime education
STCW-compliant academies: Istanbul Technical University, Piri Reis University, Dokuz Eylül University, Karadeniz Technical University, Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University
- Vessel types served
Bulk carriers, container ships, tankers (crude/product/chemical), LNG/LPG, Ro-Ro/passenger, offshore support vessels, drillships
- Deep sea drilling capabilities
National drillship fleet includes Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni and Abdülhamid Han; seismic vessels: Oruç Reis, Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa
- Other offshore assets
Diverse support fleet for exploration, subsea and logistics operations
- Key maritime cities
Istanbul, İzmir, Mersin, Trabzon, Samsun, Kocaeli
- Maritime strengths
Strong shipbuilding and repair clusters, strategic straits (Bosphorus & Dardanelles), experienced multinational crews
- Maritime heritage
From Çaka Bey's first Turkish fleet in 1081 to Ottoman naval dominance under Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa, Türkiye's maritime identity was forged through shipbuilding, cartography and decisive battles such as Preveza (1538), commemorated as Navy Day. Centres such as Karamürsel, İzmit, Gallipoli and the Imperial Istanbul Shipyard anchored early naval organisation and propelled figures like Piri Reis, whose Kitab-ı Bahriye mapped the Mediterranean's currents, ports and hazards for mariners.
The Ottoman maritime system evolved through the Derya Bey and Kapudan-ı Derya eras into a modern naval ministry, sustaining campaigns from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Despite setbacks in the late empire period, the republic rebuilt maritime institutions, expanding naval education and shipyards. Today this heritage is visible in Türkiye's active merchant marine, shipbuilding clusters and a national offshore exploration fleet.
Straddling critical sea lanes, Türkiye's ports and the Turkish Straits remain among the world's pivotal maritime corridors, reinforcing a culture where seamanship, coastal trade and naval service are interwoven with national identity and economic strategy.