Istanbul: Just a week after construction plans for Turkey’s Kanal Istanbul project were released, it has been announced that the Kanal will be 7 km shorter than previously planned.
Originally, a 50km-long waterway was planned for opening in 2013. Now, plans state that the Kanal will be 43 km long and is set to open in 2023, marking Turkey’s 100th anniversary.
The Kanal will have a draft of 25 metres, which will allow VLCCs to bypass the Bosporus Strait. Currently, suezmax vessels are the largest vessels able to transit the strait connecting the Marmara and Black seas.
Authorities are now reported to be working on the exact route of the Kanal. Turkey’s Ministry of Environment and Town Planning will issue building permits once construction plans have been completed and approved.
