Local Knowledge, Sustainable Operations
Bosphorus Strait Traffic Status (Live)
Live Conditions, Suspensions & Transit Statistics of Istanbul Strait (Bosporus)
The Bosphorus is one of the world’s most strategically important and operationally demanding maritime passage ways. Around 35,000–40,000 vessels transit the Turkish Straits every year, and at any given moment dozens are crossing, anchored at the north or south waiting areas, or held back by an active suspension notice. For shipowners, charterers, and operators, knowing the current state of Bosphorus traffic — and understanding why it can shift hour by hour — is essential to protecting voyage schedules and controlling demurrage exposure.
This page is maintained continuously by our Istanbul operations team to give you a clear, authoritative view of current conditions, the rules that govern the strait, and what to expect when planning your transit. For specific vessel scheduling or pre-arrival queries, contact our operations team directly.
Heisenberg Shipping, one of the largest ship agency for Transiting Turkish Straits, is providing close monitoring of vessel traffic, transit schedules, and operational updates across the Bosphorus and Dardanelles.
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Istanbul Operations Team / Turkish Straits (Bosphorus and Dardanelles)
*Contact us regarding PDAs, operation-related matters, urgent actions, and port information purposes.
This dashboard is strictly not intended for navigational, operational, or critical decision-making purposes. Vessel movements, timings (SP1, SP2), current speeds, visibility ranges, and opening schedules are subject to sudden changes due to operational requirements, weather conditions, official port authority directives, and unforeseen maritime circumstances. Always consult official notices from the Directorate General of Coastal Safety (KEGM), local port authorities, and certified navigational charts for critical operations.
Heisenberg Shipping and its affiliates assume no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or discrepancies in the information provided, nor for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, financial, or punitive damages arising out of your access to, reliance upon, or use of this tool. By using this platform, you explicitly acknowledge and agree to these terms and accept full responsibility for any operational risks.
How to Read the Dashboard
The two horizontal timeline bars represent today’s traffic schedule for the Bosphorus — one for northbound transits (vessels moving from the Sea of Marmara toward the Black Sea) and one for southbound transits (Black Sea toward Marmara). Each bar covers a full 24-hour period in Istanbul local time.
Green segments indicate open windows when traffic is flowing in that direction. Red segments indicate active or scheduled suspensions — most commonly caused by large-vessel transits, weather, or scheduled events. Grey segments show periods that are not yet planned. The black vertical line marked NOW shows the current moment, so you can see at a glance whether the strait is open in your direction right now and when the next change is scheduled.
The status panel above the timeline summarises live vessel activity: how many vessels are currently in transit, how many are scheduled for passage, and how many are ready and waiting at the anchorages. These numbers refresh continuously and give you an immediate sense of congestion at the north and south waiting areas.
What the dashboard does not tell you. The schedule shows what is planned, but not why a suspension has been issued or how a particular vessel will be sequenced within an open window. Transit order within a window follows a first-come, first-served principle, but is reshuffled by vessel size, cargo type, and special-permission requirements.
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