Turkish Coast Guard Command

The Turkish Coast Guard Command (Türk Sahil Güvenlik Komutanlığı) or Coast Guard Command (Sahil Güvenlik Komutanlığı) is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces and was established in 1859.

Organization
Affiliated with the Guarding Administration (Ottoman Turkish: Muhafaza Memurluğu), the Coast Guard is responsible for controlling the maritime jurisdiction areas and coasts of Turkiye and fighting all kind of illegal action in the responsibility area. Turkish Coast Guard is also the main Search and Rescue Coordination Authority in Turkish SAR Zone. During peace time, it is under the command of the Turkish Interior Ministry. However, during emergency and war time it falls under the command of the Turkish Navy.

The Coast Guard is organized into four area commands: the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara and adjacent straits, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Strength
With a personnel strength of about 5,500, the coast guard is responsible for maintaining the security of the coast and territorial waters. The Coast guard is also responsible of search and rescue (SAR) operations, and for protecting the marine environment

Mission
Coast Guard Command is a security service, established on 9 July 1982 by Act.2692, with the purpose of performing missions such as; providing the security of Turkish coasts, territorial waters and inland waters such as the Marmara Sea, Istanbul and Çanakkale Straits, ports and harbors and exercising such rights and powers where Turkey exercises sovereign rights under the rules of both national and international laws at sea areas which fall outside the scope of the general responsibility of the Turkish Naval Forces and to prevent and pursue all kinds of smuggling activities carried out by way of sea. The missions, Coast Guard Command was charged with by Act. 2692 are:


 * To protect and provide the security of our coasts and territorial waters,
 * To provide the safety of life and property at sea.
 * To take necessary measures for untethered mines, explosives and suspicious material identified in the sea and on the coast and report them to the authorities concerned.
 * To observe and inspect the operating conditions of the aids-to-navigation and report the deficiencies observed to the authorities concerned,
 * To disarm the refugees entering into our territorial waters and deliver them to the authorities concerned.
 * To prevent all kinds of smuggling carried out by way of sea.
 * To prevent the actions of the vessels and sea craft in violation of the laws on radio hygiene, passport, anchoring, mooring, fishing, diving and hoisting the flag.
 * To inspect the fishing of aquatic products,
 * To conduct inspections in order to prevent the marine pollution.
 * To prevent the smuggling on antiquities by conducting inspections on diving activities.
 * To perform search and rescue missions within the search and rescue area of Turkey, in conformity with the International Search and Rescue Convention and National Search and Rescue Regulations.
 * To inspect the yacht tourism,
 * To participate in the operations conducted for the security of homeland under the command of the Naval Forces, when so ordered.

Equipment
Surface patrols are carried out by 52 patrol vessels and smaller craft. The most effective of these are 14 search-and-rescue vessels (220 tons) of Turkish design. Smaller 150 ton and 70 ton patrol boats of German design were nearing obsolescence in the mid 1990s. An ambitious construction plan foresaw a major strengthening of the service with eight new vessels of 350 - 400 tons and 48 ships of 180 - 300 tons.