The most important Shipping Canals that are build by human are listed below:
Shipping Canals
1. Kiel:
This canal shortens the mileage between London and the Baltic ports by about 400 km. This was opened in 1895, and is about 96 km long with a depth of 12 meters. It is an international canal that links North Sea with the Baltic Sea. Germany, which is cut off from the main sea, depends for navigation on this canal.
2. Panama:
This canal constructed above sea-level, with locks, has linked the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans with Colon and Panama (ports) on the coastal ends respectively. The credit for this engineering feat goes to the U.S. Government.
This has shortened the distance by about 9600 km between London and San Francisco; 14400 km between New York and San Francisco; and 6400 km between New York and Japan. This canal is of prime importance because it passes through a region which is tremendously rich in petroleum. Hence it meets trade, defence and strategic purposes.
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It is about 81 km long, 152 meters wide and about 13.5 meters deep and was opened in 19I4. The Panama Canal has since been transferred to Panama by end 1999.
3. White Baltic Sea Canal:
The erstwhile Soviet Union had constructed this canal which joins Baltic Sea and Arctic Ocean. It connects Leningrad with White Sea. It is the longest shipping canal, about 225 km long.
4. Suez Canal:
The important link between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea has shortened the distance between London and Mumbai by about 6400 km. On the Mediterranean side we have Port Said, and the Port Suez on the Red Sea. This canal is 175 km long and about 115 km wide with a depth of 10.5 meters; it was constructed in 1869 by a French engineer, Ferdinand de Lesseps.
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It was first administered by a limited company in which Britain held a major portion of the share. Egypt demanded the evacuation of the British troops from the Suez Canal Zone, and they were withdrawn in June 1956.
The Canal was nationalised by Col. Nasser on 26th July, 1956. In June 1967 Israel occupied the eastern bank of Suez Canal and it was closed to traffic and was re-opened after eight years on June 8, 1975. The Suez Canal has now been widened in order to enable some of the larger ships and oil tankers to pass through the channel.