column in Cairo where he lived in exile from Turkey, took
aim at Ottoman maritime shortcomings in this article.
In his book "The Rise of Modern Turkey", Stanford Shaw
noted that İdare-i Mahsusa was originally organized by
Sultan Abdülaziz but was neglected by Sultan Abdülhamid
II. In 1895, there were about 50,000 Ottoman-flagged
vessels, 3,000 of which were steam-powered. By 1905
this number had risen to 68,769 ships, including 4,756
steamships.//
An 'İdare-i Mahsusa' steamship.
I'm Thinking That...
"Türk" newspaper (Cairo): 25 August 1906
One of the reforms we talk about a lot has to do with the 'İdare-i
Mahsusa' ('Reserved Administration'/Ottoman Steamship Company).
Barely a month passes in Istanbul without excellent ideas being
promulgated in newspaper columns. As a consequence, the matter
is discussed, special commissions established and laws passed.
The Navy Ministry is informed and, in turn, writes to the 'Babıâli'
(Ottoman seat of government).
Right away, there are announcements like two or three ships to be
acquired, regular postal service to Trablusgarp (Libya) to be put
into operation, ships on the Syria line to be extended to Alexandria,
etc., etc. But these are all empty promises. Over the past 25 years,
none of these words has been transformed into deeds, nor will they
be in the future.
Tekirdağ is on the north shore, while Bandırma and Erdek
straddle the large peninsula on the south shore. Çanakkale is
on the Dardanelles Strait at left.
The small ports of Istanbul's 'lake', the Sea of Marmara, such as
Tekirdağ, Bandırma and Erdek, are all served by English and Greek
tugs. Trablusgarp, the State's one remaining colony in Africa, doesn't
even have a monthly postal ship service and Italian ships transport
Ottoman soldiers there. There's no regular ship service to Syria every
two weeks, as there should be. And ships only go to Jiddah during the
haj (Moslem pilgrimage) season and to Hodeidah (Yemen) solely to
take and retrieve conscripts.
There are no 'İdare-i Mahsusa' ships in Basra (Iraq) or in İşkodra
(Albania). What is the reason? It's because the 'İdare-i Mahsusa'
is a fiefdom, which is, unfortunately, not uncommon for us (Ottoman
State). Any minor storm at sea will force our small ships to seek refuge
in a port for a few days, making a 3-5 day trip take 15 days. These days,
while military transport is outsourced, so is commercial and passenger
service.
Here's an example of the current situation: a postal ship headed for
Salonica (Thessaloniki) with both commercial goods and passengers
loaded onto its deck, is commandeered at Çanakkale by the Third Army
and directed to retrieve conscripts from Antalya. Consequently,
passengers who thought they boarded a ship for a 48-hour trip are
instead out at sea for 10 days, while the commercial goods spoil and rot.
The price of the goods falls and the owners are victimized. These are
common occurrences.
Jiddah, center - on the east shore, and
Hodeidah (Al-Hudaydah) right - on
today's Yemen's shore.
Another example: sheep and other livestock are transported to various
places like Basra, Hodeidah and Jiddah. On return, the ships are loaded
with ill soldiers or those coming back on leave who have waited weeks
or months for the ships to arrive. Shipping companies from Austria,
Russia, France and Greece operate in our Ottoman waters and ports,
making millions. Yet our 'İdare-i Mahsusa' is in a sad state, not even
able to operate regular postal ship service along our own shores and
so insolvent that its workers aren't paid each month.
If the 'İdare-i Mahsusa' weren't a fiefdom and, instead, a well-run, for-
profit company, it wouldn't have to leave operations in Ottoman waters
to foreign ships and could even compete with the foreigners for postal
service to places like Egypt, India and Java. It could be on a parr with
French and Russian companies that handle such trade.
The Şirket-i Hayriye's 'Sureyya' ferry in Istanbul.
Given that the 'İdare-i Mahsusa' is a fiefdom and cannot run itself, why
isn't it handed over to the Şirket-i Hayriye (Istanbul ferry service, today's
Şehir Hatları/City Lines), which is a well-run and progressive national
company? For years, Şirket-i Hayriye has wanted permission to
operate in ports where English and Greek tugs work but has been put
off time and again. This is quite a mystery and a strange puzzle that
ought to be solved by granting these privileges that foreign shippers
enjoy to Şirket-i Hayriye. If and when this happens Ottoman
commercial maritime affairs can be improved and expanded.
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