Turkey closed the Dardanelles Strait to shipping due to large-scale fires

The Turkish Ministry of Transport announced that the Dardanelles Strait was temporarily closed to maritime traffic due to forest fires raging in the northwest of the country, UNN reports with reference to the BBC.

Details

The main international waterway was closed as a precautionary measure as fires spread near the city of Çanakkale, where a number of residents were evacuated.

Turkish firefighters were deployed to fight the fires. Specialized aircraft and helicopters are also being used to extinguish the fires.

The Dardanelles connect the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara. Together with the Bosphorus Strait, it serves as a vital route for commercial shipping between Europe and Asia.

According to official data, almost 46,000 vessels crossed the Dardanelles in 2024.

Additionally

According to local officials, strong winds fanned the forest fires, contributing to their spread in hot, dry weather. The governor of Çanakkale province, quoted by Turkiye Today, stated on Friday that firefighting efforts "both from the air and from the ground" are ongoing.

Çanakkale's main airport is closed to passenger flights, but firefighting and search and rescue planes are still operating from there.

Hundreds of forest fires have broken out across Turkey this summer, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

In July, at least 10 forestry workers and rescuers died while fighting forest fires in the central province of Eskişehir.