Selami Küçükoğlu, Ahmet Kartal

16 July 2026 • Update: 16 July 2026

Istanbul / Anadolu

The ship "CASTRONE," which is among the largest and widest natural gas pipe-laying vessels in the world, crossed the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul on its way to participate in works for laying a gas pipeline in Romania.

The ship, flying the flag of the Bahamas, entered the strait at 05:40 a.m. (GMT+3), according to an Anadolu correspondent.

"Castrone" is accompanied by the ship "Nine Hatun," belonging to the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, which is the first and largest Turkish ship dedicated to emergency response, search and rescue, and firefighting operations.

Turkish authorities closed the strait to maritime traffic in both directions during the ship's passage, which has a length of 325 meters and a width of 39 meters.

After a closure of about two hours to vessel traffic in both directions, the Bosphorus Strait was reopened to maritime navigation.