Ersan Basar

Simulation of marine traffic in Istanbul Strait

Abstract The Turkish Straits, comprising the Strait of Canakkale, the Strait of Istanbul and the Sea of Marmara, are unique in many respects. The very narrow and winding shape of the strait, gives it river like characteristics, and it is an established fact that for mariners the Turkish Straits are one of the most hazardous, crowded, and potentially dangerous, waterways in the world. All the dangers and obstacles characteristic of narrow waterways are present and acute in this critical sea lane. In this research, the simulation of the Istanbul Strait was done under unique traffic conditions and results of this simulation, and the effects of probable increase in marine traffic due to new oil pipelines, are discussed.

Finding risky areas for oil spillage after tanker accidents at Istanbul strait

The Istanbul strait, which is a part of Turkish Strait System (TSS), is a narrow and navigationally risky waterway for ships. This risk increases daily due to oil transportation from Central Asia and Russia. In this study, four high risk areas were identified after analysing accident statistics for the strait. Then, a simulation was run for 1,000 tonnes of oil spill at each station and the distribution of oil determined by using GNOMETM. Effective wind speed and direction were used at each scenario. As a result of these runs, risky areas were identified and necessary actions to minimise the effect of spill were discussed. Anadolu Kavagi, Buyukdere, Cengelkoy and Haydarpasa were identified as the high risk areas. In order to minimise the effect on these areas, having skimmers ready at Haydarpasa port and Buyukdere, and stocking barriers at other risky areas were found to be helpful for speedy action.

The analysis of life safety and economic loss in marine accidents occurring in the Turkish Straits

The increase in the worlds trading capacity, which has been spurred by globalization, has caused problems in marine transportation, namely congestion. Despite the safety measures currently in place, marine accidents are still not being prevented. This study focuses on marine accidents in the Turkish Straits that have done serious harm to humans, the natural environment, and the economy. To reduce the negative impacts mentioned above, this study considered the most common types of accidents, their causes, and their results. For this purpose, 850 serious marine accidents, which took place in the Turkish Straits between the years of 2001 and 2010 (as recorded by the Undersecretaries for Maritime Affairs), have been analyzed and the data obtained have been systematically tabulated using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methodology. According to the data, the most significant cause of marine accidents in the Turkish Straits is human error. This study proposes measures to ensure that ship personnel are competent, mentally and physically, to navigate narrow and dangerous waterways in order to minimize the amount of accidents caused by human error.

The analysis of ship accident occurred in Turkish search and rescue area by using decision tree

Turkish search and rescue area is of strategic importance in terms of international transportation and shipping, particularly Istanbul and Çanakkale regions are the output port of the Black Sea countries to the trans-boundary waters. An accident that may occur in these regions may cause heavy traffic to slow down or even stop the transportation. Slowing down or stopping the transportation and shipping will cause high economical damage to the countries of the region. At the same time marine accidents taking place in these regions will most likely result in human casualties and environmental disasters. Hence, it is necessary to evaluate the cause of the accidents occurring in this region to comment on the common precautions. In this study, 1247 marine accidents occurring in Turkish search and rescue area were investigated in 2001–2009. These were sorted with frequency analysis and analyzed by using the Decision Tree method. Many of the ship accidents (60%) result from human error. Besides, most human error-induced accidents in Turkish search and rescue areas occurred in Istanbul region (50%). Finally, the risk of a collision-contact accident in cargo vessels in Istanbul region is stated to be 10% by reason of human error.

Comparison of the safety cultures of Turkish aviation and maritime transportation workers

Given the needs of the growing world population, the importance of the transportation sector has steadily increased. Maritime and aviation fields are considered two crucial parts of this sector. Transportation accidents must be minimized in order to ensure timely delivery of natural resources, sustainable production and safety of life and property. Human error plays an important role in transportation accidents and is the cause of 70–90% of all aviation and maritime accidents. These errors can be minimized by enhancing the perception of safety culture for individuals, corporations and nations. In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 318 Turkish people who work in different positions in the aviation and maritime industries. The perceptions of safety culture within different occupations and occupational groups were compared. Statistically significant differences were found between the aviation and maritime sectors.

DUE TO THE HEAVY MARINE TRAFFIC AND ASSOCIATED RISK THE OIL SPILL SCENARIOS AT KANDILLI WHICH IS THE NARROWEST POINT IN ISTANBUL STRAIT

ABSTRACT The Istanbul strait, which is a part of Turkish Strait System (TSS), is a narrow and navigationally risky waterway for ships. This risk increases daily due to oil transportation from Central Asia and Russia. Over 50.000 vessels, on average, annually use the Turkish Straits. This is an increasing figure that occurred in the Istanbul Strait under the heavy marine traffic. In this study, the scenario was to run on Kandilli which is the narrowest part of the strait. This area is difficult for navigation due to inverse currents (which is referred to as Devils Current by the locals). Simulation was run for 500 tones of oil spill at Kandilli Point and distribution of oil was determined by using GNOME™. Effective wind speed and three different wind directions were used at each scenario. As a result of these runs, risky areas were identified and necessary actions to minimize the effect of spill were discussed. Cengelkoy, Arnavutkoy beaches and Sarayburnu were identified as the most risky areas. In order t...