The Bosphorus, a major waterway that divides Istanbul, was closed to maritime traffic from 7:20 a.m. local time on Thusday, media points reported sales. The closure was caused by the decrease in visibility half one nautical mile in the area as heavy snowfall began to hit Istanbul early Thursday.
The waterway is a crossing point for ships traveling from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea and vice versa and the busiest along with Dardanelles to son South West. Its status has been subject of a debate recently in the midst of the war between Ukraine and Russia as Ukraine demanded Turkey close it to Russian ships.
The Bosphorus is also In the center of international trade and large faulty trading ships sometimes block passage of others. The Bosphorus had its fair share of accidents involving vessels coming into collision with one another or in riverside mansions adorning the sides of the waterway.