Turkey Continues Feasibility Studies For Istanbul Canal - Erdogan

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th October, 2022) Turkey continues to work on planning and running feasibility studies for the Istanbul Canal, a massive waterway project intended as an alternative to the Bosporus Strait, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

"In the coming days and years, this (the Istanbul Canal) will be on top of our agenda. Our plans and feasibility studies are continuing," Erdogan said, as quoted by Turkish news agency Anadolu.

The Turkish president noted that worldwide cargo turnover is currently 12 billion tonnes and may double by 2025, with 90% of cargo shipped by sea.

"The importance of the Istanbul Canal is rising amid growing world trade, geopolitical risks and load on Turkish ports that has increased by 40% over the past 10 years," Erdogan added.

The president also pointed out environmental problems related to increasing maritime traffic in the Turkish straits, highlighting that as many as 30% of ships passing through the straits transport hazardous materials.

In June 2021, the country launched the construction of the 28-mile Istanbul Canal that is set to link the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara in a bid to relieve shipping pressure on the Bosphorus.

Erdogan's mega-project worth $9.8 billion, which is widely opposed by the opposition, may become the largest infrastructure initiative in Turkish history. The canal is causing controversy at home and abroad� because of both its economic practicability and possible problems with the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits.