Analysis of Strategies to Reduce Air Pollution from Vessels: A Case for the Strait of Istanbul

Air pollution that stems from vessels has become a critical problem especially for people living in cities with heavy maritime traffic. Istanbul City is an important metropolis of the region and the world. This study proposed strategies to reduce air pollution in the Strait of Istanbul by extending the International Maritime Organization and European Union strategies’ scope. The strategies’ priority levels were analyzed employing the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process method by asking opinions from experts who live in the Strait of Istanbul as a marine pilot or vessel traffic operator with at least 10 years of existing work experience. The analysis results determined which types of ship that passes the strait are more sensitive to the above mentioned strategies using the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution method. Accordingly, the strategies under the “Declaration of the Strait of Istanbul and the Marmara Sea as a Sulfur Emission Control Area” and “prohibition of the use of heavy fuel on ships” have been the highest priority strategies in reducing air pollution in the strait. The direct passing ships achieved the highest sensitivity level to the strategies held in this study according to the selected experts.