Ferries in Istanbul Ferries in Istanbul The city of Istanbul is at a geographic crossroads, straddling Europe and Asia Minor, and is divided by a sea lane called the Bosphorus Strait, which joins the Black Sea in the northeast and the Marmara Sea in the southwest. This strait has played a key role in the history of the city. Boats have traversed the waters of the Bosphorus for millennia and until the opening of the first Bosphorus bridge in 1973, were the only mode of transport between the European and Asian halves of Istanbul. They continue to serve as a key public transport
Piracy in the Strait of Malacca 325 reported pirate attacks worldwide in 2004; nine occurred in Malaysian waters, eight in Singaporean waters, and 93 in Indonesian waters. With Indonesia making it clear that it is not adequately equipped to patrol the Strait, the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard finally agreed to join the multinational piracy patrol in the Strait of Malacca in 2006. India is also building a UAV-patrol base in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to monitor the Andaman Sea adjacent to the Strait of Malacca. Due to co-operation between these countries, and to some extent with Thailand, piracy in the region has almost