Kanal İstanbul
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The Istanbul Canal ( tr, Kanal İstanbul) is a project for an artificial
sea-level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised ...
waterway, which is planned by
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
on East Thrace, connecting the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
to the
Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via t ...
, and thus to the Aegean and
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
seas. Istanbul Canal would bisect the current European side of
Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...
and thus form an island between
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
and
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
(the island would have a shoreline with the Black Sea, Sea of Marmara, the new canal and the
Bosporus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...
). The new waterway would bypass the current Bosporus. The canal aims to minimise shipping traffic in the Bosporus. It is projected to have a capacity of 160 vessel transits a day – similar to the current volume of traffic through the Bosporus, where traffic congestion leaves ships queuing for days to transit the strait. Some analysts have speculated that the main reason for construction of the canal is to bypass the Montreux Convention, which limits the number and tonnage of warships from non-Black Sea powers that could enter the sea via the Bosporus, as well as prohibiting tolls on traffic passing through it. In January 2018, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım announced that Istanbul Canal would not be subject to the Montreux Convention. The Istanbul Canal project also includes the construction of ports (a large container terminal in the Black Sea, close to the
Istanbul Airport Istanbul Airport ( tr, İstanbul Havalimanı, ) is the main international airport serving Istanbul, Turkey. It is located in the Arnavutköy district on the European side of the city. All scheduled commercial passenger flights were transfer ...
), logistic centres and artificial islands to be integrated with the canal, as well as the construction of new earthquake-resistant residential areas along the channel. The artificial islands are to be built using soil dug for the canal. Transport projects to be integrated with the canal project include the Halkali-Kapikule high-speed train, the
Turkish State Railways The State Railways of the Republic of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları), abbreviated as TCDD, is a government-owned national railway company responsible with the ownership and maintenance of railway infrastructure in Turkey ...
project, the Yenikapi-Sefakoy-Beylikduzu and Mahmutbey-Esenyurt metro lines in Istanbul and the D-100 highway crossing, Tem highway and Sazlibosna highway. Financing the canal is expected to be via a build-operate-transfer model, but could also be funded through public-private partnerships. The government is expecting to generate in revenue per year from Istanbul Canal, thanks in part to a service fee for transits. Critics, such as Korkut Boratav, have questioned this number and said that the net revenues could be negative. Other criticisms include the need to direct resources for focusing on earthquake readiness and addressing economic issues, and potential negative environmental impacts.


History

The concept of a canal linking the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara has been proposed at least seven times in history.


Early proposals

The first proposal was made by Ottoman sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I ( ota, سليمان اول, Süleyman-ı Evvel; tr, I. Süleyman; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver ( ota, قانونى سلطان سليمان, Ḳ ...
(reigned 1520–1566). His architect
Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan ( ota, معمار سينان, translit=Mi'mâr Sinân, , ) ( 1488–1490 – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman architect ( tr, l ...
was said to have devised plans for the project. The project was abandoned for unknown reasons. On March 6, 1591, during the reign of Sultan Murad III, an imperial
ferman A firman ( fa, , translit=farmân; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods they were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The word firman com ...
(order) was issued and work on the project recommenced, but again for unknown reasons the project was stopped. In 1654 during the reign of Sultan
Mehmed IV Mehmed IV ( ota, محمد رابع, Meḥmed-i rābi; tr, IV. Mehmed; 2 January 1642 – 6 January 1693) also known as Mehmed the Hunter ( tr, Avcı Mehmed) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the a ...
, pressure for the recommencement of the canal was applied but to no avail. Sultan Mustafa III (reigned 1757–1774) attempted twice in 1760, but the project could not go ahead due to economic problems. During the reign of Sultan
Mahmud II Mahmud II ( ota, محمود ثانى, Maḥmûd-u s̠ânî, tr, II. Mahmud; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, ...
(reigned 1808–1839), an Imperial Ottoman Committee was established to examine the project once again. A report was prepared in 1813, but no concrete steps were taken.


Modern proposals

A completely opposing view was taken in the 1920-52 plan for Atlantropa, which proposed a hydroelectric dam to be built across the Strait of Gibraltar, lowering of the surface of the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
by up to 200 metres (660 ft). This plan included a dam across the Dardanelles to hold back the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
. The Energy Ministry's Consultant Yüksel Önem suggested the project of constructing an alternative waterway to the Bosporus in the 1985 magazine of Turkish Standards Institution and in the Science and Technical Magazine of
Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, TÜBİTAK) is a national agency of Turkey whose stated goal is to develop "science, technology and innovation" (STI) policies ...
in 1990. In 1991, Nusret Avcı, Head of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Environment Commission, proposed that a canal long could be constructed that would pass between
Silivri Silivri, formerly Selymbria (Greek: Σηλυμβρία), is a city and a district in Istanbul Province along the Sea of Marmara in Turkey, outside the urban core of Istanbul, containing many holiday and weekend homes for residents of the city. Th ...
and Karacaköy. He suggested that this channel would significantly reduce hazards of maritime traffic and pollution in the Bosporus. Finally, on January 17, 1994, shortly before the local elections, the leader of the Democratic Left Party (DSP) Bülent Ecevit proposed a canal connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. Canal Istanbul was announced by President Erdogan in June 2021. It would be large enough to accommodate
VLCC An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined cru ...
class vessels.


Project


Purpose

The stated purpose of the project is to reduce the large marine traffic through the Bosporus and minimise the risks and dangers associated particularly with tankers. About 41,000 vessels of all sizes pass yearly through the Istanbul Strait, among them 8,000 tankers carrying 145 million tons of crude oil. International pressure is growing to increase the marine traffic tonnage through the Turkish straits, which brings risks for the security of marine navigation during the passage. The Bosporus sees nearly three times the traffic of the Suez Canal. The canal will further help prevent the pollution caused by cargo vessels passing through or mooring in the Sea of Marmara before the southern entrance of the Bosporus. The following table shows the total volume and amount of large vessels that passed through Istanbul Strait:


Layout

On January 15, 2018, the route of the project was declared. The final route for Istanbul Canal was selected after studies on five alternative routes. The Ministry of Transport announced that the project will pass through Lake Küçükçekmece near the Marmara Sea. It will pass through the districts of Avcılar and
Başakşehir Başakşehir is one of the 39 second-level districts in Greater Istanbul, Turkey. The population of Başakşehir is 311,095 as of 2012. It is in the European part of Istanbul. History Former name of the area was Azatlık. The area specialized ...
before reaching the Black Sea in the Arnavutköy district north of the city. Seven kilometers of the route passes through Küçükçekmece, 3.1 kilometers goes through Avcılar, 6.5 kilometers goes through Başakşehir, and the major 28.6-kilometer part of the route goes through Arnavutköy. The waterway will have a length of , with a depth of . Its width will be on the surface and wide at the bottom. The largest ship sizes that can pass through the canal were determined as 275–350 meters long, 49 meters wide,
draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
of 17 meters and an
air draft Air draft (or air draught) is the distance from the surface of the water to the highest point on a vessel. This is similar to the " deep draft" of a vessel which is measured from the surface of the water to the deepest part of the hull below th ...
of 58 meters.


Project preparations

On September 23, 2010, Hıncal Uluç, a columnist with the daily ''
Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...
'', wrote an article named "A Crazy Project from the Prime Minister" without mentioning the content of the project. In this article, Uluç wrote his reaction to his phone call with Prime Minister Erdogan, stating that, "I had the phone in my hand and froze. This is the most crazy project I've ever heard about Istanbul. If anyone would have asked me to come up with thousand projects, it still wouldn't have crossed my mind. It's that crazy." This article led to creating hype around the project, dubbing it the "Crazy Project" ( tr, Çılgın Proje). It appeared that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government had started discreet studies on the project earlier and that concrete steps were taken for the revival of this project. The project was mentioned by
Minister of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...
Binali Yıldırım in May 2009 at the parliament. On April 27, 2011, the then-prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan officially announced the ''Kanal İstanbul'' project during a rally held in connection with the upcoming 2011 general electionsTurkey to build Bosphorus bypass
" ''
New Civil Engineer ''New Civil Engineer'' is the monthly magazine for members of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the UK chartered body that oversees the practice of civil engineering in the UK. First published in May 1972, it is today published by Metropoli ...
'', 20 April 2011. Accessed: 2 December 2014.
Marfeldt, Birgitte.
Startskud for gigantisk kanal gennem Tyrkiet
" ''
Ingeniøren ''Ingeniøren'' (full name: ''Nyhedsmagasinet Ingeniøren'', literally ''The News Magazine "The Engineer"'') is a Danish weekly newspaper specialising in engineering topics. History and profile The paper has covered science and technology issues ...
'', 29 April 2011. Accessed: 2 December 2014.
Studies relating to the project were completed within two years. The canal was initially planned to be in service at the latest in 2023, the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic. On 22 January 2013, the Turkish Government announced that research studies about the canal would commence in May 2013. In April 2013, the first stage of the Kanal İstanbul project, which includes the construction of various network bridges and highways, commenced. By December 2019, construction had not yet commenced. President Erdoğan indicated that a
request for tender An invitation to tender (ITT, otherwise known as a call for bids or a request for tenders) is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business ...
for the project would be published in early 2020. Meanwhile,
Ekrem İmamoğlu Ekrem İmamoğlu (; born 4 June 1970) is a Turkish businessman, real estate developer, and politician serving as the 32nd Mayor of Istanbul. He was first elected with 4.1 million votes and won with a margin of 13,000 votes against his AKP opponen ...
, elected as the mayor of Istanbul in 2019 from the
opposition party Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...
CHP, is opposed to the project. In January 2020, the Environment and Urbanization Ministry approved the final version of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Istanbul Canal project. Construction work is scheduled to begin in mid-2021. The project is expected to take seven years to complete.


Construction

On June 26th, 2021, construction started on Sazlıdere Bridge, which Erdogan also stated was the start of the canal construction.


Cost

Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan Recep may refer to: People Surname * Aziz Recep (born 1992), German-Greek footballer * Sibel Recep (born 1987), Swedish pop singer Given name * Recep Adanır (born 1929), Turkish footballer * Recep Akdağ (born 1960), Turkish physician and polit ...
and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality officials have stated that Istanbul Canal will cost an estimated ₺75 billion (US$10 billion) to build. The central government has put forward a build-operate-transfer model as its main preference, but will use funds from the national budget if needed. Approximately 8,000–10,000 people are expected to be employed during the construction phase of the project, while 500-800 are to be employed during the operational phase.


Environmental impact

The Black Sea is 50 cm higher than the Marmara and less salty. Simulations predict that, unlike the Bosphoros, which flows both ways, water would rarely flow north through the canal but almost always south, which would make the top 25m of the Marmara less salty. However the ecosystems of both seas could be affected. The project has been criticized for destroying agricultural and forest land and a walking trail, and potentially contaminating groundwater with salt and increasing flooding. Other environmental criticism includes potential changes to the salinity of Marmara Sea, leading to Istanbul smelling of hydrogen sulfide.


Criticism

Some critics have stated that Turkey aims to bypass the
Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits The (Montreux) Convention regarding the Regime of the Straits, often known simply as the Montreux Convention, is an international agreement governing the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits in Turkey. Signed on 20 July 1936 at the Montreux Palace ...
, in order to attain greater autonomy with respect to the passage of military ships (which are limited in number, tonnage, and weaponry) from the Black Sea to the
Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via t ...
. In 2013, Stratfor characterized the announced US$12 billion construction budget and initial operating date of 2023 as being "not realistic for a project of this magnitude." The city government of Istanbul and local groups are opposed to the project because it would eliminate Lake Durusu, which is used for a fifth of the city's drinking water, and because they expect it will cause overcrowding as the local population increases. Observers said the plan to charge transit fees to oil and gas tankers is unrealistic, as long as free passage is guaranteed through the Bosporous. However, article 3 of the Montreux convention does allow sanitary inspections before transiting the Bosphorus, leading to speculation that Turkey might apply lengthy sanitary inspections, making the canal a faster alternative. Along with members of the royal family of Qatar, Berat Albayrak, the Turkish Minister of Finance and son-in-law of President Erdoğan, purchased property along the route, meaning he would personally benefit financially from the resulting real estate development. Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul's mayor, said that limited financial resources should be used for getting Istanbul ready for an earthquake and solving economic problems, and that all buildings that have an earthquake risk in Istanbul could be rebuilt with Istanbul Canal's budget. According to a survey in Istanbul by MAK, 80.4% of the respondents were against Istanbul Canal project, while only 7.9% supported it. In April 2021, ten retired Turkish navy admirals were arrested over public criticism of the Istanbul Canal project. The arrests followed a day after a group of 104 senior former navy officials signed an open letter warning that the proposed canal could, by invalidating the Montreux Convention, harm Turkish security.


Implications for anticipatory policy-making

The project has been described as a 'testing ground for anticipatory policy-making'.Eröcal, D. and I. Yegorov (2021) Countries in the Black Sea Basin. I
UNESCO Science Report: the Race Against Time for Smarter Development
Schneegans, S.; Straza, T. and J. Lewis (eds). UNESCO Publishing: Paris
Should the world move decisively away from fossil fuels in the coming decades, the problem of traffic congestion in the Bosporus Strait will dissipate, removing one of the justifications for the canal.


See also

* Black Sea trade and economy *
Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge ( tr, Yavuz Sultan Selim Köprüsü) is a bridge for rail and motor vehicle transit over the Bosphorus strait, to the north of two existing suspension bridges in Istanbul, Turkey. It was initially named the Third Bos ...
*
Istanbul Airport Istanbul Airport ( tr, İstanbul Havalimanı, ) is the main international airport serving Istanbul, Turkey. It is located in the Arnavutköy district on the European side of the city. All scheduled commercial passenger flights were transfer ...


References


External links


Official website
by Turkey's Directorate of Communications {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanal Istanbul Canals in Turkey Proposed canals Macro-engineering Cuts (earthmoving) Transport in Istanbul Province Recep Tayyip Erdoğan controversies Water transport in Turkey