Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched the construction of the Istanbul Canal, which will connect the Marmara and Black Seas and become a stand-in for the Bosphorus Strait.
"The construction of the Istanbul Canal is planned to be completed in six years. The cost of the project is estimated at about $15 billion, " Erdogan said at the groundbreaking ceremony of the first bridge over the canal.
The length of the channel will be 45 km, the minimum width is 245 m, the depth is about 21 m.
Erdogan noted that the new channel will ensure greater security for Istanbul, as more and more ships that carry a potential risk pass through the natural waterway between the seas - the Bosphorus Strait - every year.
According to Erdogan, the new channel is the most optimal of all the alternatives that the Turkish authorities faced.
