Evaluation of tugboat response time as an accident prevention measure in the strait of Istanbul

The Strait of Istanbul, 17 nautical miles long, is one of the main routes of international maritime trade. Connecting the Black Sea countries with other countries of the world, the Strait is the second busiest waterway in the world in terms of international ship traffic. In addition to busy sea traffic, limited geographical conditions also make it difficult to navigational safety. The Strait of Istanbul is the only chokepoint that stands out with the risk of maritime accidents on the primary routes of world maritime trade. This situation poses a risk for both the transiting ships and the city of Istanbul, which has a dense population around it. Some of the accidents that took place in the recent history have caused worldwide concern due to the environmental pollution they cause. Considering the advantages provided by the developing shipbuilding technology and today load capacity of the ships, a disaster that will occur in a possible accident today will cause much greater destruction than in the past. In this direction, it has become a necessity to examine the accident profile in the strait in order to develop effective accident prevention measures and to strengthen the level of navigational safety in the region. In this study, maritime accidents that occurred in the Strait of Istanbul over a 16-year period were discussed in terms of their types and the response time of tugboats to a possible accident was examined.