Maritime Security Nightmare
The Bosporus Straits
The Bosporus Straits in Turkey, the world's first busiest shipping lane:
- In its narrowest points Bosporus is 600 meters wide, less then length of the many oil tankers passing through it.
- Navigation in Bosporus is extremely dangerous - the ships pass dozens of sharp turns.
- The Strait's throughput is stretched to its limit, about 70,000 ships annualy.
- Dozens of ship accidents happen in Bosporus each year.
- Proximity to Istanbul, city with 11 mln of population, makes the Straits tempting potential target for terrorist.
- Will the Straits be blocked by sunk ship, the world will be put on strict petroleum-free diet.
The Malacca Strait
The Malacca Strait is the world's second busiest shipping lane: It is the shortest route for oil tankers from the Middle East on their way to China and the rest of Asia, thus it is the primary route for those oil shipments. Coursing through the territorial waterways of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, the Malacca Strait is 10 miles at its narrowest and 500 miles long. Unlike the Bosporus, there are alternatives for oil to travel, should Malacca traffic be halted by terrorist activity or accident. But those routes involve an extra three days' travel and higher expenses. A Malacca Strait closing would be more a psychological blow to world markets than a practical disaster for oil shipping. But there is little question that world oil prices would rise to discount the possibility that other, even more critical, oil choke points stood in the terrorists' crosshairs.
- Primary route for oil shipments from the Middle East to Asia.
- Shipping lane passes through pirates-infested waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.
- The Malacca Strait is an ideal place for ambush, it's about 800 km long and 15 km wide.
- Dozens of ship accidents happen in Bosporus each year.
The Strait of Hormuz
About half of the world oil production passes through the Straight of Hormuz which makes it the indespensable bargaining chip of Iran in any muscle game.