Europe prepares for Canal Istanbul; turning the city into an island for global trade

Europe prepares for Canal Istanbul; turning the city into an island with aims to fuel global trade and become Turkey´s largest construction project in history. 

Canal Istanbul; global trade

What began as Turkey´s President Recap Tayyip Erdogan´s “crazy project,” has become one of the country´s central targets for boosting economy and inviting global trade. The Turkish President is committed to the vision of his very own Suez Canal; while the Canal was built in 1859, technology today allows for an even larger imagination of reshaping the future. For Erdogan, Canal Istanbul has been a dream long sought-after; “Canal Istanbul will breathe new life into the region,” said the President about the potential of the global trade hub.

Today, Turkey hosts the Bosporus waterway, connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara but cannot collect any fees due to the Montreal convention; a treaty signed in 1936 that restricts military vessels from entering but is free for commercial vessels. Canal Istanbul would be the first construction to change that, becoming a profitable parallel to the Bosporus, according to the President.

“We are opening a new page in history of Turkey´s development,” stated the President. “We see Canal Istanbul as a project to save the future of Istanbul…to ensure the safety of life and property of Istanbul´s Bosporus and the citizens around it.” The canal would divide the European side of Istanbul, forming an island between Asia and Europe.

Erdogan shared that the project would receive €23 billion in funding and would be 45 km in length with breadth varying from 400 to 1,000 metres, plunging as deep as 25 metres. Situated with six bridges, the canal would lift the heavy weight of vessels passing through the Bosporus Strait.

The President communicated that approximately 160 vessels or oil tankers would be expected to pass through Canal Istanbul annually, elevating Turkey´s position in commercial and tourist venture, and advancing the country´s economy.

Canal Istanbul; a global trouble

Ambitious as it is, the project was met with scepticism ever since Erdogan´s first mention of it in 2020. The more the President shared his enthusiasm, the more protesters took to the streets, urging the government to consider the environmental impact of such a large construction project, as the Canal would run over necessary water reserves and natural habitats.

The mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu has spoken out on multiple occasions, expressing his condemnation of the project; “(Istanbul Canal) threatens Istanbul completely, its water, its nature, its security.” While Canal Istanbul remains Erdogan´s dream, for many residents, the project appears a nightmare.

Environmental expert of Istanbul University Dogonay Tolunay emphasised that the Canal would cause a dire disturbance to the ecosystem; “The dune landscapes in the north of the city are home to protected forests, streams, and pastures that are important to the ecosystem and are home to hundreds of species of plants and animals.”

On a global scale, many are concerned about the potential military traffic from neighbouring Russia. Boris Toucas, visiting fellow with the Europe Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies commented; “Crimea is the military source, Turkey is the pivot, and the Turkish Straits are the strategic throughput; and the end goal is access to and military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean as a counterbalance to US and NATO expansion eastward.”