Istanbul, Jul 10 (IANS): Ship traffic in Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait, one of the busiest waterways in the world, was halted in both directions on Wednesday due to a towing failure, according to Turkey's Directorate General of Coastal Safety.

The Directorate General of Coastal Safety indicated on its website that traffic on both sides was suspended at 2:00 p.m. local time (1100 GMT), reported Xinhua news agency.

Also, the broadcaster Halk TV, citing a shipping agency named Tribeca, reported that a malfunction occurred with a tugboat attempting to tow a ship at the northern Black Sea entrance of the Bosphorus.

A technical failure prevented the tugboat from completing the towing process, causing traffic congestion in the northern part of the strait and impacting maritime transport, it said.

According to the broadcaster, two additional tugboats were dispatched to the area to resolve the issue, and efforts are currently underway.