According to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) data, about 80%-90% of trade on a global scale is done via sea lanes. From a financial point of view, 60%-70% of the annual economic value of $30 trillion (TL 260 trillion) is realized over the sea.

Within this freight, there is a considerable amount of petroleum, petroleum derivatives and other chemicals that have exponentially increased over the years.

While the crude oil transported by sea in 1978 was 1.5 billion tons, today it has reached 1.9 billion tons. Likewise, the amount of other petroleum derivatives and chemicals, which was 350 million tons in 1978, has reached 1.3 billion tons today.

The amount of dangerous cargo transported by tankers in total was 1.8 billion tons in 1978. It reached 3.2 billion tons in 2018, almost doubling in 40 years.

The most supportive factor in the development of trade was undoubtedly the development of the maritime fleet. While the shipping fleet was 320 million deadweight tonnage (DWT) in the 1970s, this value increased sixfold to reach 1.98 billion DWT at the beginning of 2019.

Ship transportation

According to the evaluations of the World Shipping Council (WSC), ship transportation is the most effective and efficient way of transporting goods and products in terms of costs, efficiency and environmental issues.

One of the large cargo ships can transport 200,000 containers of goods in a period of one year. That number of containers would require a 77-kilometer-long (49-mile-long) train or hundreds of trucks.

Another advantage offered by sea transport is economic gains as it minimizes transportation costs.

In this regard, according to the evaluations of the WSC, the cost of transporting 1 pound (0.45 kilograms) of cargo is $1.50 by plane, 10 cents by truck, 1 cent by rail, while this value is only 0.5 cents for waterway transportation.

The greener option

Sea transport is a greener option. In our world, where 8 million people die every year from air pollution, the effects of climate change are becoming more prevalent every day. This form of transportation also has a positive environmental impact with fewer pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.

Besides, the fact that sea transportation is cheap and offers safer navigation makes this option more attractive than other alternatives.

This necessitated the perpetuation of waterway transport and encouraged people to build artificial waterways in areas where natural waterways were not available.

Since the canals provide countries shorter routes, they make transportation more attractive on the one hand, and on the other hand, they have become the main income source of the countries they are located in.

For example, while the Suez Canal, which was recently in the headlines due to the Ever Given container ship, is the third-largest revenue producer in the Egyptian economy, the Panama Canal provides a great service that accounts for 12% of Panama's gross domestic product (GDP).

Kanal Istanbul Project

Istanbul is a metropolis with a history of 3,000 years and a population of more than 16 million. It is a unique city with its cultural and historical beauty, with the Bosporus passing through its coasts.

The strategic importance of the Turkish Straits system, consisting of the Istanbul and Çanakkale straits and the Marmara Sea, as the only waterway connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, is indisputable.

The Turkish Straits are of vital importance for the economy and military security of the Black Sea littoral countries, as well as for Turkey.

The Bosporus hosts an average of 43,000 cargo ships per year. In addition, it is a highly trafficked strait, which hosts a total of 2,000 daily crossings consisting of daily inner-city lines and small fishing boats used for the transportation of approximately 500,000 people.

In addition to many physical, oceanographic and meteorological restrictions, the Bosporus has sea traffic that is four times that of the Panama Canal and three times that of the Suez Canal.

Dangerous cruise routes

The Bosporus is a natural water passageway with a length of 30 kilometers, and its narrowest point is 698 meters (2,290 feet). It connects the Mediterranean, Aegean and Marmara seas to the Black Sea.

The Bosporus is considered one of the most difficult and most important natural and narrow waterways to cruise in the world. This is because of: