Turkey's Bosphorus reopens to traffic after fog
Date: 22-Nov-02
Country: TURKEY
The Bosphorus, which links the Black Sea with the world's oceans, was closed to two-way traffic at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) as low visibility made it dangerous for large tankers to pass in both directions through the narrow, winding strait, an official told Reuters.
"We re-opened to two-way traffic at 3 p.m. after the fog cleared and the back-up in tanker traffic was handled," he said, adding that fog was expected to roll back in early yesterday.
Passenger traffic on the Bosphorus resumed after being suspended in the morning following a collision between a Russian-flagged dry-cargo vessel and an Istanbul ferry boat earlier in the day due to the fog, he said.
One passenger was slightly injured and the ferry was damaged, officials said.
The 19-mile (30 km) Bosphorus cuts through Istanbul, a city of more than 10 million people. It is is plied by vessels carrying oil, grain and other commodities.
Increased shipping traffic through the straits from former Soviet bloc republics around the Black Sea has raised concerns about the threat of accidents and pollution.