Number of Ships Passing through the Bosphorus Decreased

Channel Istanbul's EIA report claims that the number of ships that will cross the straits will increase, but the data show the opposite. The number of ships crossing the Bosphorus, which was 2006 thousand 56 in 606 and decreased to 2019 thousand 41 in 112, decreased to 2020 thousand 38 in 404.

While President Erdoğan stated that they are determined to carry out the Kanal Istanbul project, the decrease in the number of ships passing through the Turkish straits continued in 2020.

2019 ships passed through the Bosphorus, where 41 ships passed in 112. The rate of decrease in 2020 year was 38 percent. A decrease was recorded in the total tonnage of passing ships together with the number of ships. The figure, which was 404 million gross tons in 1, fell by 6,6 percent in 2019 to 638,9 million gross tons.

SözcüAccording to the report of Emre Deveci; During this period, the number of ships passing through the Dardanelles fell from 4 thousand 43 to 759 thousand 42 with a decrease of 36 percent. Total tonnage also fell 1,5 percent from 872,3 million gross tons to 858,8 million gross tons.

SHIP TRAFFIC IS DECREASING BY GOING

Bringing the Kanal Istanbul project to the agenda, the government says, "The ship traffic that will increase in the Istanbul Strait in the future will increase the likelihood of accidents and the risks associated with it."

As a matter of fact, it is stated in the EIA report of Kanal Istanbul that "the increase in economic activities in the world with each passing year has caused the number of ships passing through the Bosphorus to increase in parallel". However, the ship traffic is gradually decreasing.

The data of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure also reveal this situation. The number of ships passing through the Bosphorus, which passed 2007 thousand 56 ships in 606, is 2020 thousand 38 in 404. Not only in 2020, which is the year of the pandemic, the number of ships passing through the strait has been decreasing for a long time.

In this respect, it does not seem possible that the number of ships passing through the Bosphorus, which is included in the EIA report of Kanal Istanbul and which was 2017 in 42, will increase to 904 in 2025 and 53 in 860. On the contrary, it is seen that the number of transitions has decreased after 2035.

According to Tuncay Çehreli, former Director of Istanbul Vessel Traffic Services, according to the reports of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, a total of 2019 million dollars income including pilotage and tug services, in addition to the lighthouse, rescue and health fees purchased on the basis of the Montreux agreement, from the 42 thousand ships that passed through the Turkish straits in 143. was obtained.

"IT IS POSSIBLE TO SIGNIFICALLY INCREASE IN REVENUE"

According to Çehreli, it is possible to increase this income seriously by correcting the miscalculation made in 1981. Prof. According to the calculation of Dr. Uğur Emek, the cost of Channel Istanbul will reach 60 billion dollars.

In its calculation in March 2020, Emek stated that a ship carrying 1000 tons of cargo without stopping / transit through the Straits paid 385,41 dollars, but according to the calculation in the Montreux Convention, it should be 8 thousand 311 dollars.