Will Turkey’s Enormous Istanbul Canal Project Move Ahead?

An ambitious “Suez Canal” project in Turkey, spearheaded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and known as the Istanbul Canal, aims to transform the city into a global trade hub, with an estimated cost of $9.2 billion.

In 2021, the Turkish government approved Erdogan’s plans to build the shipping canal in Istanbul—much like the Suez—as an alternative to Turkey’s internationally utilized straits connecting Asia to Europe.

Problems with Turkey’s canal plan

Shortly after the approval, more than 120 retired Turkish ambassadors released a statement warning the project could put the Montreux Convention, which regulates the use of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits and was signed in 1936, in jeopardy and negatively affect Turkey’s “absolute sovereignty” over the waterways.

Following that, an open letter was signed by 104 retired admirals, causing an uproar among government officials who said it resembled the coup times of Turkey’s past.

Admirals said the treaty allowed Turkey to maintain its neutrality during World War II, calling it “the biggest diplomatic victory that completed the Lausanne Peace Treaty.” The treaty determined most of modern Turkey’s borders, which the canal could jeopardize.

“We are of the opinion that there is a need to avoid any statements and actions that could cause the Montreux Convention, an important treaty in terms of Turkey’s survival, to be brought up for discussion,” the statement said.

The country’s opposition parties also expressed similar criticisms on the project at the time. However, the Turkish government has pressed forward with its vision, having recently highlighted the economic and commercial benefits the canal would bring to the nation.

The Istanbul Canal will be built in the western part of Istanbul, connecting the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea. With a length of approximately 28 miles (45 km), a width ranging from 1,312 to 3,280 feet (400 to 1,000 meters), and a depth of up to 82 feet (25 meters), the waterway will feature six bridges connecting it to the European side of Istanbul.

It is projected the canal would allow around 160 ships, or tankers, to pass through annually, alleviating pressure on the heavily-used Bosphorus Strait. Erdogan, calling the waterway his “crazy project,” highlighted its importance in 2021, saying, “Today we are opening a new page in the history of Turkey’s development, [and] we see Canal Istanbul as a project to save the future of Istanbul, to ensure the safety of life and property of Istanbul’s Bosphorus and the citizens around it.”

Signed on July 20, 1936, at the Montreux Palace in Switzerland, the Montreux Convention went into effect on November 9, 1936. Its purpose was to address the long running Straits question over who should control the strategically vital link between the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea.

The Montreux Convention regulates maritime traffic through the Turkish Straits. It guarantees “complete freedom” of passage for all civilian vessels in times of peace.