Strait of Otranto

The Strait of Otranto [ˈɔːtranto] is a strait in the Mediterranean Sea. It connects the Adriatic Sea in the north with the Ionian Sea in the south. At its narrowest point, roughly between Otranto in Italy and Vlora in Albania, the strait is 71 kilometres wide.

Since ancient times, the Strait of Otranto has been of crucial strategic importance. The Romans crossed here their troops in the direction of the east. The legions marched on the Italian military roads as far as Brundisium (today Brindisi), then had only a one-day sea voyage ahead of them and could use the Via Egnatia eastwards in the Balkans.

At the Strait of Otranto, shipping could be easily monitored and, if necessary, prevented by military means. The Republic of Venice, which ruled the Adriatic with its galleys for several hundred years, therefore also built bases on the Strait of Otranto. These were Vlora and Butrint in Albania as well as the nearby island of Corfu. In 1480, the Ottoman Turks crossed from Albania to Otranto in order to subjugate Italy to Islam.

During the two world wars, submarines often lurked in the strait and sank the enemy ships. Passage was extremely dangerous. The Italians, French and British prevented the Austro-Hungarian navy from leaving the Adriatic Sea throughout the First World War by means of the sea blockade of Otranto. In May 1917, the Imperial and Royal Navy succeeded in the naval battle of Otranto. In May 1917, the Austro-Hungarian navy succeeded in inflicting heavy damage on the Allies in the Strait of Otranto during the naval battle, while suffering hardly any damage itself, but the sea barrier could not be broken. A second and final attempt failed in June 1918, when the Allies prematurely noticed the approaching Imperial and Royal Navy. Kriegsmarine approaching. In the process, one of the four Austrian capital ships, the SMS Szent István, was sunk. The element of surprise was gone, the attack was called off.

In the 1990s, the Strait of Otranto was an important route for illegal immigration to the EU, because here the sea can be crossed relatively safely because there are no strong currents. In good weather, the route can be covered by speedboats in a good two hours. However, there have been repeated accidents, particularly in bad weather. On 29 March 1997, 87 emigrants - including many women and children - drowned after an Italian coastguard vessel collided with their speedboat. In January 2004, at least 20 people froze to death after the inflatable boat became stranded in a storm due to engine failure and could not be found by rescuers for hours. It is estimated that in 1999 about 340 people died crossing the Channel of Tears, as the strait in Albania was called in the meantime. The Albanian authorities, with the help of Italy and Germany, among others, were able to put a stop to much of the people smuggling across the Strait of Otranto; numerous rubber dinghies were confiscated and burned.