Turkey's Minister of Transport is seeking to transform the country into a "global logistics power" by pushing the development of the Canal Istanbul as a major waterway.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu noted that the Canal Istanbul is "a project that will shape the world's economy and trade."
"Our Canal Istanbul project, which will increase Turkey's effectiveness in world's trade and bring Turkey to a leading position in world economic corridors, will leave its mark in history as a guarantee of the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Turkey, which is located on the most important trade corridors of the developing world," Karaismailoğlu said.
"With the Canal, Turkey will be among the world's leading logistics powers."
The ground breaking of the first bridge of the Canal Istanbul was held on June 26 with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Karaismailoğlu of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
Increased shipping activities cited in the Straits System
According to the statement, detailed analyses conducted within the framework of the Turkey Logistics Master Plan — which aims to make Turkey a global logistics power — revealed the need for an 'alternative waterway' transportation corridor in the region due to the increasing ship and cargo density in the Straits System.
"It is aimed to manage the ship traffic of Istanbul, which is located at the intersection of the Central and North-South corridors, and to raise Turkey to a leading position in the world's trade corridors thanks to the Canal Istanbul, which was designed to meet this need," it added.
Canal Istanbul is projected to employ 500 thousand people and create an economic contribution of 28 billion dollars — essentially making Turkey a major player in global maritime trade, the statement said.
"Turkey will be the most important logistics centre of the world," Karaismailoğlu added.
Under Turkey's master plan, many other projects to support the logistics sector is under way including the Istanbul Airport, Filyos Port, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway, Istanbul-Izmir Highway, and the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge which is seen to initiate breakthroughs in maritime transport and reform movements in railways.
"One of the most important pillars of Turkey's growth vision in the last 19 years is the claim we have made in terms of our transportation, communication and logistics infrastructure," the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure added.
Alternative waterway in Marmara for Eurasia
"As a country that dominates the most important trade corridors of the developing world, Turkey will become the world's most important logistics centre with the Canal Istanbul. Thus, the Black Sea will turn into a trade lake for Turkey," he further said.
The Canal Istanbul, which is Turkey's vision project, seeks to reduce the load caused by maritime traffic and to ensure traffic safety, and will be put into the service of the country as an alternative waterway in Marmara, the locomotive of the Eurasian region.
Nonetheless, the project has been met with criticism from some sectors citing environmental concerns.
