Bosphorus Cruise

Magical Bosphorus Cruise


Hagia Sophia viewed from the Bosphorus

Istanbul is a maritime city on the critical Bosphorus Straits. No visit to Istanbul would be complete without a cruise on the Bosphorus, and the weather Gods made sure we were blessed with clear blue skies on our two-hour private cruise.

Short video from our Bosphorus Cruise




The cruise boats provide breathtaking views of the Ottoman architecture of the various landmarks including Topkapi, Dolmabahçe, Çırağan and Beylerbeyi Palaces; famous Hagia Sophia, Blue and Ortaköy mosques; Galata Bridge and Tower; and the Bosphorus bridge, making it the ultimate highlight of the stay.



Galata Tower viewed from the Bosphorus


Dolmabahçe Palace viewed from the Bosphorus


The exclusive Four Seasons Hotel viewed from the Bosphorus

Strategic Bosphorus Strait

Known as Bogazici in Turkish, it is of strategic importance, with an estimated 48.000 ships passing through annually, in addition to the local fishing and passenger boats. 

This is reportedly three and four times denser than the traffic of the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal, respectively. The Bosphorus Strait is one of the world’s most difficult waterways to navigate, thanks to the narrow width at some parts of the waterway. The channel is only half a mile wide at the narrowest point, posing a hurdle to the oil tankers and other vessels using the strait.

The traffic in the strait increased enormously after the signing of the Montreux Convention in 1936. Under the Montreux Convention, the strait provides the right of free passage to merchant vessels, while the transit of warships is subject to restrictions. 

Bosphorus Strait is 32 kilometres (20 miles) long natural waterway that joins the Sea of Marmara to the south with the Black Sea to the north of Istanbul. Its width varies from 730 to 3300 meters, with the depth varying between 50-120 meters. 

The Bosphorus Strait is one of the world’s critical maritime routes for oil transportation from the Caspian Sea region and Russia to areas including Asia, and Western and Southern Europe. It is estimated that more than three pct of the global supply or, in other words, around 3 million barrels of oil per day and 20 million tons/year of petroleum products pass through this iconic waterway. Around 38 per cent of Russia’s, one of the world’s biggest maritime crude oil producers, marine crude oil exports benefit from the strait.


In addition, the swift current in the strait also adds to the difficulty—the current flows from north to south and the subsurface countercurrent results in swirls and eddies. Similarly, the winds from the north make it very difficult to move from the other end.  

Other ways to cross the Bosphorus

There are three suspension bridges over the Bosphorus Strait that shuttle traffic between two continents. 
  • The first Bosporus, or Boğaziçi Bridge, 1,074 m (3,524 ft) long, was opened for business in 1973
  • The second (Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge), a 1,090 m (3,576 ft) long suspension bridge is approximately 5 kilometres from the other and was completed in 1988. It spans from Anadolu Hisari to Rumeili Hisari.
  • The third, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, was inaugurated in August 2016. Located at the entrance to the Black Sea, the bridge has a length of 1408 meters (4619 ft). 
The Bosphorus Strait also has two tunnels passing under it. 
  • One, called Marmaray, runs between the neighbourhoods of Uskudar and Yenikapi. Opened in October 2013, this commuter rail line tunnel spans 76.6 km (47.6 mi) between Europe and Asia.
  • The second tunnel is called the Eurasia Tunnel and runs between Kazlicesme and Goztepe neighbourhoods in Asia and Europe, respectively. Open in December 2016, the tunnel allows the entry of only motor vehicles, including cars and minibuses.

The Bosphorus Straits and the Sea of Marmara are part of the sovereign sea territory of Turkey and are treated as Turkish internal waters. Turkey has barred the passage of warships from any country in the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

References

Mambra, S. (2024e, April 24). 6 Bosphorus Strait Facts You must know. Marine Insight. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://www.marineinsight.com/know-more/6-bosphorus-strait-facts-you-must-know/


Location: Bosphorus, Türkiye

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