By Nurettin Coskun
ANKARA (AA) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday stressed the importance of the Canal Istanbul project, calling it a “world brand.”
Speaking to his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's Istanbul candidates' presentation ceremony in Halic Congress Hall, Erdogan said the project would serve against any possible environmental disaster.
The planned canal is meant to provide relief to shipping traffic between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, particularly oil tanker traffic passing through the Bosphorus.
The 45-kilometer (nearly 28 miles) canal, which will be built in Istanbul's Kucukcekmece-Sazlidere-Durusu corridor, is to boast a capacity of 160 vessels a day and is scheduled to be completed by 2023.
“If we don’t want to experience other tanker or mansion disasters in the Bosphorus, I remind you once again why it is a must to build Canal Istanbul, ” Erdogan said.
On April 7, a ship hit the shore of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul and crashed into a historic mansion causing extensive damage to the mansion, its environment and its contents.
“We are constructing Canal Istanbul against such incidents, and it will be a world brand,” Erdogan said.
The president stressed the Canal Istanbul is not only a developmental, but also a strategic project.
He added that if the project is not implemented, the future of the Bosphorus would be in danger.
