Bosporus shut down amid adverse weather affecting Istanbul

Baku, March 10, AZERTAC

Bosporus, a major waterway that divides Istanbul, was closed to maritime traffic starting at 7:20 a.m. local time on Thursday, media outlets reported, according to Daily Sabah.

The closure was caused by visibility dropping to half a nautical mile in the area as heavy snowfall started taking hold across Istanbul early Thursday.

Bosporus and Dardanelles, also known as the Turkish Straits, are also at the center of international commerce and large malfunctioning commercial vessels occasionally block the passage of others. Bosporus had its fair share of accidents involving ships colliding into one another or into waterfront mansions adorning the sides of the waterway.