The ministry hopes to use the simulation to address security and safety measures in the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits in the event of a possible marine disaster or serious pollution incident. During the drill, the Bosporus will be closed to maritime traffic for two days. The ministry hopes to see how well emergency response teams react in such a scenario and how their efficiency and performance can be improved.
Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning Erdoğan Bayraktar told the press on Sunday that Turkey will now prepare for potential marine disasters by creating controlled simulation scenarios like this one, to detect shortcomings in disaster response. Bayraktar said the emergency response teams have completed their training and are ready to handle the test scenario.
Each year, 60,000 vessels pass through the Bosporus, and almost as many through the Dardanelles, with 55,000. When Turkey's 500 ports are added to the two busy straits, the risk of marine pollution is very high. In consideration of this risk, the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning has selected 223 ports for which “risk analysis” will be carried out and “emergency response plans” designed. According to this plan, the ministry will provide sufficient personnel, tools and emergency vessels to these ports to handle any possible marine pollution event.
Turkey's Peace with Nature Association organized the sailing of 2,000 boats in the Bosporus on Sunday to protest tanker ships carrying hazardous substances through the strait. The protesters gathered at Paşabahçe, where hundreds of boats were given banners bearing protest slogans. These boats headed towards Kabataş, where hundreds more boats joined the campaign. The Top Air Flight School's amateur pilots also supported the protest by flying over the Bosporus.
