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Forest fire shuts down Turkiye Dardanelles Strait for maritime traffic

August 22, 2023 at 5:59 pm

Firefighters try to extinguish the fire, broke out at a yarn factory and spread to its surroundings, in Inegol district of Bursa, Turkiye on August 01, 2023 [Mustafa Yılmaz – Anadolu Agency]

Maritime traffic from the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara has been suspended due to the ongoing forest fire in the Turkish north-western province of Canakkale, the Transport Ministry and a shipping agency said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

“The traffic at Dardanelles was suspended for both directions on Tuesday at 18:45 (1545 GMT) hours due to the aircraft intervening in the forest fire in the region by safely taking water from the sea,” Tribeca Shipping Agency said.

The Dardanelles Strait, a narrow and historically significant passage connecting the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea, serves as a vital shipping route for vessels travelling between Europe and Asia.

“Tugboats are prepared to intervene if the fire approaches the seafront, providing additional support to the ongoing fire fighting operations,” the Transport Ministry said in a statement.

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