The Turkish government says it is moving forward with plans for a canal that would link the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, allowing ships to bypass the crowded Bosphorus Strait
Turkey Moving Forward with Bosphorus Strait Bypass Canal The Turkish government says it is moving forward with plans for a canal that would link the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, allowing ships to bypass the crowded Bosphorus Strait, Reuters reports. The 45-kilometer "Kanal Istanbul" would turn the European side of Istanbul into part of an island, and land dug up to create the canal could fill part of the sea, creating a sea port and airport. "We believe that this is a very realistic project that will be talked about by the world," said Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan. Babacan said the country's Higher Planning Council has decided to go forward with the project. Turkish officials say about 150 million tonnes of oil and petroleum products move through the Bosphorus each year. The European Union (EU) said early this year that it would study the possibility of building a freight corridor involving rail connections between the Aegean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Danube river, to bypass the Bosphorus. Turkey and Russia have also been considering an oil pipeline to relieve congestion on the strait.
