Heavy ship traffic chokes straits with air pollution

ÇANAKKALE

With roughly 130 vessels traversing the Dardanelles Strait in the northwestern province of Çanakkale and Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait daily, emissions from these ships are a major contributor to air pollution in the region.

Heavy ship traffic is polluting the air in the Marmara region, raising concerns about public health and prompting calls for stricter regulations.

The burning of heavy fossil fuels by ships releases harmful pollutants like sulfur and nitrogen oxides, along with particulate matter. These emissions pose significant health risks, linked to respiratory and circulatory system diseases, and are estimated to cause 60,000 premature deaths annually.

Experts believe declaring the Turkish Straits System an "Emission Control Area" (ECA) could significantly reduce this pollution.

A study conducted by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Levent Bilgili from Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University's Faculty of Maritime Studies suggested that mandating the use of cleaner fuels by ships passing through the straits could achieve an 80 percent reduction in shipping-related air pollution.

Current regulations allow ships to use fuels with a sulfur content of up to 0.5 percent. However, in ECAs, this limit is significantly stricter, dropping to just 0.1 percent. The U.S.-Canada coastline and the Baltic Sea are already designated ECAs, while EU ports enforce a 0.1 percent sulfur limit on ship fuels regardless of ECA status.

The Mediterranean Sea is poised to join the ranks of ECAs on May 1, 2025, but its boundaries currently stop at the mouth of the Dardanelles, leaving the Marmara Sea and Istanbul exposed to higher emissions.

Bilgili emphasized the health risks associated with ship emissions. "These pollutants are known to cause respiratory and circulatory illnesses, even leading to premature deaths," he stated. "Declaring the Turkish Straits an Emission Control Area offers a powerful solution to significantly reduce this pollution."