South Korean construction company SK Engineering & Construction has expressed plans to partake in the construction of one of Turkey's biggest projects, Kanal Istanbul.

Seung Soo Lee, vice chairman of South Korea-based construction company SK Engineering & Construction (E&C), said in a statement to Anadolu Agency (AA) that the project was brought up during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to South Korea. He recalled that South Korean President Moon Jae-in said they would be happy to support the project during the visit.

Seung said they have taken part in Turkey's largest projects such as Eurasia Tunnel and the Çanakkale 1915 Bridge and have plenty of experience in Turkey.

"This (Kanal Istanbul) is a major project both in terms of value and importance. We participate in large projects with our partners in Turkey. President Erdoğan invited us with regard to the said project and our leader accepted it. It means that it is up to us now," Seung said. "We have our experience in Turkey. We only expect details of the project to be announced. After the details are clear, we want to lead the project."

Within the scope of Kanal Istanbul Project announced by President Erdoğan during his term as prime minister in 2011, the channel will be opened with the methods and techniques to be determined after the geological and geotechnical studies carried out in the 45-kilometer-long area following the south of Küçükçekmece Lake - Sazlıdere Dam – Terkos region. Thus, a safe alternative waterway linking the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea and the Mediterranean Sea will be established. The project is estimated to cost TL 65 billion ($15 billion).Last week during his trip to South Korea, President Erdoğan met the top executives of SK E&C and invited the Korean investors to bid for Turkey's largest infrastructure project.

South Korean contractor SK E&C was one of the contractors in the consortium that built the Eurasia Tunnel, Turkey's first undersea tunnel that connects the European and Asian sides in Istanbul; the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge on the Bosporus; Tufanbeyli Thermal Power Plant, a coal plant located in the southern province of Adana and operational since 2016; and the Çanakkale 1915 Bridge, currently being constructed and set to be the longest suspension bridge in the world.ISTANBUL / DAILY SABAH WITH AA