ANKARA, June 26. / TASS /. Turkey has started the actual implementation of the project of a new shipping channel Istanbul between the Marmara and Black Seas bypassing the Bosphorus, the start of construction on Saturday was announced by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at a ceremony in Istanbul by pressing a button symbolizing the start of construction of one of the project-approved bridges across the new canal.

"The Istanbul Canal is a new page in Turkey's development, a new step in the further strengthening of our state. There is very intensive traffic along the Bosphorus, one of the most intense in the world. Each passage of a large ship through the strait carries serious risks of accidents for the city. This the bridge is the first step in the implementation of the canal project," Erdogan said. The ceremony of starting the construction of the Sazlidere bridge was broadcast by the Turkish TV channel NTV.

"The implementation of the canal project will require about $ 15 billion, and we expect to complete the construction within six years. We have no fears about investments. The channel itself will be able to attract them," he said. The canal, as Erdogan pointed out, will be able to receive oil and gas carriers up to 275 meters long and container carriers up to 300 meters long. "The canal will reduce the waiting time for the passage between the seas. Now the ships are waiting in line until 15:00. It is difficult for large ships to go along the Bosphorus, and to avoid accidents.

The canal will allow this, it is 12 times safer," Erdogan said. He also noted that the Montreux Convention does not contain a number of safety requirements, which increases the risk of disasters when navigating the Bosphorus. Speaking at the ceremony, former Minister of Transport and Ex-Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, under whom the project of the channel was developed, said that "this project does not contradict the Montreux Convention, but only strengthens the sovereignty of Turkey, increases its international weight and strengthens the security of cargo transportation."

The Sazlidere Bridge on the dam of the same name in the western part of Istanbul will become one of six road bridges across the new canal. It is a cable-stayed bridge, the roadway of which (four lanes in both directions) is held by 272 cables. The main span of the bridge will be 440 meters long, with a total length of 1.6 km. The bridge has been designed to accommodate the navigation of the future canal, and large ships will be able to pass under it. The Istanbul channel project was announced by Erdogan in 2011. The channel is 45 km long, 275 km wide and 20 meters deep, intended to become a new navigable artery in the western part of Istanbul, connecting the Black and Marmara Seas. It will divide the European part of the country in two.

It is assumed that the canal will be able to handle about 160-180 ships per day, including tankers with a net carrying capacity of up to 300,000 tonnes. Today, 43,000 ships a year pass through the difficult for navigation Bosphorus Strait. According to a number of experts, in Turkey in the next 10-15 years the flow of ships through the Bosphorus may exceed 70,000 per year. The approximate cost of the project, according to official estimates, is about $15 bln. Project completion is scheduled for 2027.

In December 2019, the Turkish President announced that maritime traffic through the canal would not be subject to the Montreux Convention on the Status of the Straits.