Turkey to open tender for Canal Istanbul in 2021

This year Turkey will open a tender for the mega-project Canal Istanbul, an artificial sea route parallel to the Bosphorus set to connect the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, a senior Turkish official said Friday.

"Canal Istanbul is truly a visionary project," said Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum during a speech in Turkey's central province of Kirsehir.

"It is a project that will make Turkey a leading country in the world and add value to Istanbul's brand," Kurum said, adding that every detail and touch for the project has been considered.

Touching on the mega-project, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday: "The world will come and watch this project on site, just like our other projects."

On Wednesday, Erdoğan said that despite some hurdles, all the technical groundwork for the canal has been completed.

The construction of Canal Istanbul, with a daily passage capacity of 185 vessels, is expected to start in 2020 and be completed in 2025-2026.

The planned 45-kilometer (28-mile) canal will be built west of the city center on the European side of the Istanbul province.

The mega-project, which aims to prevent risks posed by vessels carrying dangerous shipments through the Bosphorus Strait, was approved by the country's Environment and Urbanization Ministry.