İzmir removes 1.5 million tons of mud from bay

İZMİR

A group examines a map beside İzmir Bay, with an excavator extending from a dredging vessel into the water.

Municipal teams in Türkiye’s western province of İzmir have removed more than 1.5 million tons of mud from the city’s bay since Dec. 16, 2024, seeking to improve water circulation and support marine life.

The metropolitan municipality has begun a second phase off Çiğli’s Sasalı area, on the bay’s northern side, after completing dredging at the mouth of Peynircioğlu Stream in Mavişehir.

Two dredging vessels and four mud transport ships are working about 1.5 miles offshore to open a channel. The project involves 150 personnel and aims to deepen the water to 4 meters in an area where it is as shallow as 20 to 30 centimeters in places.

Crews transfer the excavated material from dredging vessels to transport ships, which carry it to an authorized disposal area outside the bay. A total of 1,503,785 tons of material has been removed since work began.

Metropolitan Municipality Gulf Unit Supervisor Halil İbrahim Acıoğlu said all six vessels had moved to Sasalı after finishing work at the stream’s mouth.

“Seeing the activity in the sea, the change in the water’s color and our contribution to marine life makes us really happy,” he said.

The municipality’s work targets shallowing that restricts natural water circulation in the northern bay. By opening a deeper channel through the seabed, crews aim to increase the movement of water and help improve conditions for the marine ecosystem.

İzmir, Türkiye’s third-largest metropolis, is built around an Aegean bay whose port serves ferries, cruise vessels and container ships.