Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler cautioned Tuesday that the Istanbul and Çanakkale straits have reached a critically dangerous level of oil traffic, citing environmental, social, and economic risks. He delivered the remarks in a written message to the 4th Türkiye-Caspian-Black Sea Oil-Natural Gas Conference, held in Ankara.
Guler noted that 150 million tons of crude oil passed through the straits in 2005, with projections of 190 to 200 million tons by 2009. He warned that a major accident could cause severe environmental damage and shut down maritime traffic for an extended period.
The minister described Türkiye as a vital energy bridge linking the Caspian region, Central Asia, and the Middle East to European consumer markets. He highlighted the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline as key projects strengthening energy security, and said Kazakh oil connections to the BTC line were expected soon.
Guler also pointed to the proposed Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline as an alternative transit route, predicting that Ceyhan would become the Eastern Mediterranean's largest oil terminal. He added that Türkiye currently meets only 30 percent of its energy needs domestically, with annual demand growing roughly 6 percent alongside economic expansion.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in March 2006, in its own words.