If built, the proposed canal will measure about 173 miles (278.4 kilometers) in length

Jul 11, 2014 12:22 GMT  ·  By
The Panama Canal might soon get some competition from another man-made waterway
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   The Panama Canal might soon get some competition from another man-made waterway

As it turns out, it might not be very long until the Panama Canal, which measures nearly 50 miles (a little over 77 kilometers) in length and connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, is put to shame by a way more impressive man-made waterway.

Thus, it was earlier this week that high officials in Nicaragua, the largest country in the Central American isthmus, announced plans to move forward with the construction of a mammoth canal that would cut right through its territory.

This artificial waterway will also connect the Atlantic to the Pacific. However, when compared to the Panama Canal, it will be considerably longer. Specifically, its length is expected to be one of 173 miles (approximately 278.4 kilometers).

Apparently, Nicaragua is so determined to see this massive man-made waterway become reality that it has even struck a deal with China-based company HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co. Ltd. (HKND Group), Newsweek informs.

Work on this impressive man-made waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans should debut later this year, most likely in December. The cost of implementing this project is expected to amount to $40 billion (€29.35 billion).

According to the same source, the Chinese company contracted to implement this project estimates that, if everything goes according to schedule, the massive canal cutting through Nicaragua will be completed and ready to use in about 5 years' time.

Plans to build this waterway were officially approved quite a while ago, i.e. in June 2013. Still, it was only this past Monday that the possible routes Nicaragua has in mind were revealed. These routes are detailed in the image below.

Should this artificial waterway actually be built in the years to come, there are many who expect that its becoming operational will disturb current marine traffic patterns in the Panama Canal. The two canals will likely be in fierce competition with one another during peak times of the year.

Interestingly enough, there are some who suspect that, all things considered, it could happen that Nicaragua will eventually change its mind and announce to the world that the mammoth canal will not be built after all, be it for economic or environmental reasons.

“Obviously, at a simple level it would provide competition to the Panama Canal that currently enjoys a quasi-monopoly. But that would all depend on whether or not a canal in Nicaragua will ever actually come to pass,” says Simon Bennett with the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Shipping Federations.

Proposed routes for massive canal cutting through Nicaragua
Proposed routes for massive canal cutting through Nicaragua

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The Panama Canal might soon get some competition from another man-made waterway
Proposed routes for massive canal cutting through Nicaragua
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