BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 19
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
China and the Benelux countries are particularly interested in construction of a shipping canal in Istanbul, Trend reports referring to the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
The negotiations are underway with a number of major foreign investors for the construction of such a canal. The total cost of the project is $20 billion.
“As much as $5 billion of the total amount of the project will be directed to the construction of roads and infrastructure along the shipping canal,” the ministry said.
With the completion of the construction, part of Istanbul will turn into an island.
The purpose of the construction of the Istanbul canal is to reduce the burden of shipping on the Bosphorus Strait, as well as to prevent the threat of environmental and man-made disasters on one of the most intense sea routes in the world.
The depth of the canal will be 25 meters. The canal will be able to let pass 150-160 vessels per day.
The Bosphorus is used by an average of 150 vessels per day, of which about 30 are oil tankers. Annually, about 150 million tons of oil and oil products are transported through the Black Sea Strait, while the throughput capacity of the Bosphorus is estimated at 200 million tons.
The Istanbul canal will run parallel to the Bosphorus and will actually turn the European part of Istanbul into an island and finally separate it from Europe. The canal will pass from the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea through the Kucukcekmece Lake.
On the banks of the canal, it is planned to build new residential complexes, which will be connected with other areas of the 15 million metropolis via modern transport infrastructure including metro and high-speed trains, as well as with the third airport in Istanbul.
As part of this project, the construction of a new port is also expected.
It will be possible to use tankers with a length of 275 meters, a width of 48 meters and a capacity of 14,500 tons deadweight (DWT) on the Istanbul shipping channel, which is being built as part of the government’s “Vision 2023” plan.
The construction of the navigable canal will continue for five years and the minimum service life of the canal will be 100 years.
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