Less ships passing through straits of Turkey

ANKARA (A.A) - January 15, 2012 - The number of ships using straits in Turkey is decreasing. 106,519 ships passed through Istanbul and Canakkale straits in 2007, and this figure dropped to 95,177 in 2011. Less ships are using straits due to global economic crisis as well as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline which was opened in 2006. In 2011, 49,798 ships used 30 kilometer-long Istanbul Strait which is one of the most important and also dangerous straits of the world connecting Black Sea and Marmara Sea, while 45,379 ships used Canakkale Strait which is 60 kilometers. Ships carried 138.4 million tons of hazardous materials via Istanbul Strait, and 156.3 million tons via Canakkale Strait in 2011.