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Baku, Azerbaijan, April 13
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given instructions to speed up the construction of a shipping canal in Istanbul, the Turkish media reported April 13.
“This is an important project and it is impossible to delay its construction,” the Turkish president added.
President Erdogan expressed intention to implement the Istanbul Canal project in 2011.
The aim of construction of the Istanbul Canal is to reduce the load on the Bosphorus Strait, as well as to prevent the threat of ecological and man-made disasters on one of the world's most intense sea routes.
The depth and width of the Istanbul Canal will be 25 meters and 400 meters, respectively. Presently, an average of 150 vessels pass through the Bosphorus daily, of which about 30 are oil tankers.
The Istanbul Canal will run parallel to the Bosphorus and in fact will turn the European part of Istanbul into an island and separate it from Europe.
A new port is also expected to be constructed within this project. The construction of the Istanbul Canal will continue for five years, and the minimum lifetime will be 100 years.
(1 USD = 4.1358 TRY on April 13)
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