Traffic in both directions on Turkiye's Bosphorus was temporarily halted on Sunday due to a tanker experiencing a machinery failure, according to the Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry.

The ministry identified the vessel as the Sredine but did not offer additional details.

The Bosphorus is one of the world's busiest maritime chokepoints, with over 40,000 vessels passing through it annually.

On average, around 150 vessels, including large oil tankers and cargo ships, transit the strait each day. The suspension of traffic due to the tanker’s malfunction affected dozens of ships waiting to pass through the narrow and strategically crucial channel.

While the ministry did not provide further details about the tanker’s malfunction or the timeline for resuming normal traffic, such incidents typically prompt swift response efforts to clear the obstruction and restore the flow of maritime traffic.

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