To move freight and passenger ships through the water in the shortest possible way, in order to reduce time, labor and material costs, artificial waterways - channels were laid. Today, existing hydraulic structures have a significant impact on the development of commercial shipping and the economies of the countries to which they belong. In the article we will consider some of the most important shipping channels in the world.
White Sea-Baltic Canal
One of the longest shipping routes is located in Russia, in particular in the Republic of Karelia, and it is called the White Sea-Baltic. The canal connected the White Sea within the boundaries of the city of Belomorsk and Lake Onega in the vicinity of the village of Povenets and allows vessels to move further into the Baltic Sea.
The shipping line stretched for 227 km with a minimum fairway depth of 4 meters and a width of 36 meters. During its construction, more than 120 hydraulic structures were erected, including 19 - locks.
The history of the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal is very tragic, because it was built by prisoners, the number of which, according to some estimates, reached 280 thousand. The waterway was laid using only manual labor and was commissioned in less than two years in August 1933.
Volga-Don Shipping Canal
From Volgograd to Kalach-on-Don one of the channels of Russia stretched - the Volga-Don named after V.I. Lenin. He connected the two largest rivers - the Volga and the Don. The channel extends for about 101 km, of which 45 km are reservoirs. The minimum depth of the shipping channel was 3.5 meters.
To completely overcome the waterway from the Volga to the Don, ships have to face the passage of thirteen lock structures. They represent the Volga and Don lock ladders. The height of the first reaches 88 meters and includes nine single-chamber single-thread locks, and the second rises 44.5 meters and consists of four locks of a similar design.
Dimensions of lock chambers - 145 × 18 meters. The distance between locks ranges from 700 m on the Volga slope to 20 km on the Don slope. The channel is laid along the Bereslavsky, Varvarovsky and Karpovsky artificial reservoirs. The passage of water to vessels is 10-12 hours.
Panama Canal
One can safely guess the whereabouts of the next shipping canal by its name - this is the Panama Canal, which has spread over the territory of a small and surprisingly beautiful country located in two parts of the world - Panama. The channel is recognized as one of its most important attractions. In addition, it is positioned as a unique monument to the perseverance and heroism of the people who built it.
The shipping channel was created to reduce the length of the sea routes, following which, had to go around the South American continent.
Given the terrain, the artificial channel is not laid in a straight line, but bends, so its length is 81.5 kilometers. About 65 kilometers were built by land, and the remaining 16.4 kilometers were laid along the bottom of the Panama and Limon bays for the ships to reach great depths. The total width is 150 m, in the lock chambers it is 33 m, and the depth is 12 m. On June 12, 1920 the canal was officially opened.
Corinth Canal
The smallest length is characterized by the narrowest shipping channel in the world - the Corinthian. It is located on the territory of the famous Hellas and was built on the Isthmus of Corinth to connect the two seas - the Aegean and the Ionian. The canal made it possible to reduce the sea route by 400 km by eliminating the need to bypass the Peloponnese. At the same time, an artificial channel separated the aforementioned peninsula from the mainland.
The Corinth Canal was built in 12 years, from 1881 to 1893. About two and a half thousand workers who were recruited throughout Greece were involved in the construction. The length of the water route laid through the mainland and resembling a deep canyon approaches six kilometers, and the height of the sheer walls reaches 76 m. The width of the canal at sea level is 25 meters, and at the seabed - 21 m.
A century after the completion of construction, it somewhat lost its economic importance due to its width. The erosion of walls, the possibility of landslides, as well as the construction of large ocean vessels, the width of which exceeds 20 meters, contributed to this fact. The latter makes it impossible for them to pass through the channel. Currently, the narrowest shipping channel has become a tourist attraction for cruise ships and small boats.
Suez Canal
A bewitching sight - giant ships and tankers are slowly sailing through a lifeless desert! And all this thanks to the Suez Canal, which connected the Red and Mediterranean Sea and conditionally divided the two continents, Africa and Eurasia. The waterway is located on the territory of modern Egypt, west of the Sinai Peninsula. Its length is 160 km, the width at the lower points varies between 45-60 meters, and reaches 350 m along the surface of the water.
The opening of the canal in the second half of November 1869 allowed ships to move between Europe and Asia a shorter route, bypassing the African continent. The highlight of the canal is that it extends along a flat terrain where there is no need to build locks, so sea water moves freely along it.
Middle German Canal
Its shipping route also exists in Germany. It is called the Central German Canal and is an important full-flowing artery, connecting the Rhine through the Dortmund-Ems and Rhine-Herne watercourses with the major rivers of the state, including Weser, Elba, Ems, Oder, as well as several lakes.
The length of the Central German Canal is 325.7 km. It is popular for extremely picturesque coastal species that attract a large number of people here. In addition to the surroundings, connoisseurs of green landscapes can also enjoy the beauty of bridges and exotic structures designed for ferries. The most popular on the channel are the Minden and Magdeburg channels, which to this day attract crowds of tourists and connoisseurs of beauty.