10 Famous Shipping Canals of the World

Dive into the extraordinary world of shipping canals! Discover the engineering marvels and global connections that make these waterways the lifelines of trade.

Canals are man-made waterways to connect major seawater routes for the smooth passage of vessels. Simply put it is an alternative shorter route created for vessels, particularly cargo vessels to save time and avoid traveling far out of their way. There are hundreds of canals all over the world, a few of them are famous canals in terms of their length, width, depth, or simply because they are the busiest traffic routes. Read on to know about the different canals of the world which are in no particular order.

Shipping canals connect major sea lanes along seas, rivers, oceans and lakes. They also offer shorter transportation routes, reducing transit times and costs by enabling smooth and efficient maritime trade across countries and continents. There are hundreds of canals with varying lengths, depths and sizes to accommodate modern cargo vessels. Mentioned in this blog are 10 famous shipping canals.

1. Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal

The Grand Canal is the world’s longest artificial waterway and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It links five of China’s major river basins. The Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal is 1776 km long and runs from Beijing to Zhejiang. It was built in sections from the 5th century BC to unify the communication networks for the first time in the 7th century AD.

It led to the emergence of huge construction sites, forming the world’s most extensive civil engineering program before the Industrial Revolution. It was used for shipping grain, and raw materials and supplying rice to the people, making it vital for the sustenance of the Empire as it is for China even today.

2. Suez Canal

Opened in November 1869, the 193.30 km (120 miles)-long Suez Canal is an artificial waterway in Egypt. It extends between Port Said in the north and Suez in the south, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez. It is a strategic route since it is one of the most heavily used shipping lanes.

It has eight bends and before its construction, the only important settlement was Suez with 3000 to 4000 inhabitants. However, several towns came up on its banks and even flourished after it was built.

The canal, which separates Asia from the African continent, provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and the regions around the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific Ocean. The Suez Canal has been recognized as a maritime route to be open at all times, to shipping vessels of all countries irrespective of global conflicts.

3. Panama Canal

The Panama Canal links the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans through the Isthmus of Panama. It uses a system of locks at each side to lift the vessels above sea level and then lower them to the other side.

It opened in 1914 and from then on, ships could avoid the long and dangerous passage around South America’s southernmost tip through the Drake Passage or Magellan Strait. Panama Canal is considered one of the most challenging engineering projects ever undertaken. The 82 km (51 mi)-long waterway is used by at least 29 liner services, mostly on the U.S East Coast to Asia route.

The Panama Canal moves around $270 billion worth of cargo annually. It is the route taken by 40% of all U.S. container traffic alone and handles about 5% of all global maritime trade.

4. Corinth Canal

Connecting the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea, the Corinth Canal goes through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and divides the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland.

The 6.4-kilometre long and 8-meter (26 ft) deep canal helps ships avoid the dangers of sailing around the Peloponnese’s treacherous southern capes while moving between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf.  Though its economic importance has been reduced, since it cannot accommodate modern ships, the canal serves around 15,000 vessels from at least 50 countries.

The 130-year-old canal was closed in 2021 after a landslide and reopened the next year for a few months. It was closed again for restoration and the 32 million euro project is being carried out in two stages.

5. The White Sea-Baltic Sea Canal

This shipping canal links the White Sea in the Arctic Ocean with Lake Onega in northwestern Russia, with further connections to the Baltic Sea. It was built in the 1930s by the forced labour of 126,000 gulag inmates of which at least 25,000 died.

The Soviet Era Canal offered a transportation route for basic supplies, especially timber between the remote areas of northern Russia. It also shortened the distance between St.Petersburg and Arkhangelsk.

The 227 km long canal sees only light traffic since its dimensions are not suitable for big cargo ships. Roughly 193 million tonnes of cargo passed through it, in the first 75 years of its operations.

6. Rhine-Main-Danube Canal

Linking three important rivers in the heart of Western Europe, the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal or the Europa Canal is a major gateway linking the North Sea to the Black Sea via the Atlantic Ocean. It enables navigation between the Rhine Delta and the Danube Delta.

It was completed in 1992 and is 171 km long, from Bamberg to Kelheim on the Danube, creating 3500 km of navigable region which runs across 15 nations, capable of accommodating barges carrying up to 2425 tonnes of bulk cargo. The canal has 16 locks and reaches a height of over 406 m over the Swabian Alps. 

It has been extended several times in the past, most recently in the 1990s.

7. Volga-Don Canal

This ship canal in Russia links the Volga and Don rivers at their nearest points and is a part of the Unified Deep Water System of European Russia. It provides the shortest maritime route between the Caspian Sea and the oceans through the Azov Sea, Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Its construction started in 1948 and it was completed in 1952. However, this was not the first attempt to connect both rivers, with the earliest effort credited to Peter the Great, who wanted to build a canal for strategic purposes but was not successful. The area around the rivers has always been a vital trade and military route.

Today, the canal accommodates rivercraft and small seagoing vessels with timber and coal being the principal cargoes.

8. Kiel Canal

Connecting the Baltic Sea with the North Sea, the Kiel Canal passes through the German province of Schleswig-Holstein. Opened in 1895, the 98 km-long Kiel Canal helps vessels bypass the longer route that goes via Denmark (peninsula of Jutland), regarded as an unstable passage, saving an average of 250 nautical miles.

With this artificial waterway, vessels en route to the east through the North Sea enter the canal at Brunsbüttel and complete the journey at Kiel-Holtenau to enter the Baltic.

Its construction began in 1887 and over 9,000 workers spent eight years completing the construction of the present-day canal.

9. Houston Ship Canal

Offering a conduit for vessels between Houston, Texas, and the Gulf of Mexico, the 80 km long Houston Ship Channel is a vital waterway in the United States.

Opened in 1914, it is a part of the Port of Houston, one of the busiest ports in the U.S. and the world. With several terminals and berthing locations, the Houston Ship Channel witnesses a significant volume of inland barge traffic. Naturally developed by the dredging works in Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay, the shipping canal has been broadened and deepened to ensure its continued viability.

Petrochemicals and Grain comprise the major cargo transported through the canal which witnesses annual ship calls of over 8,400 large vessels and 232,000 small commercial craft, including barges, carrying over 240 million tons of cargo.

10. Danube-Black Sea Canal

The Danube-Black Sea Canal is yet another important passage in Western Europe. In addition to connecting the Danube River to the Black Sea, this shipping canal also, in a way, interlinks the Black Sea to the North Sea through the Danube-Main-Rhine channel, offering a maritime passage to Eastern Europe by way of the Volga-Don canal.

It enables vessels to bypass the deltaic region of the Danube, providing continuity in maritime operations. While the 64.4 km-long main branch of the canal was constructed between 1976 and 1984, the 31.2 km-long north branch was built from 1983 to 1987. It also has historical relevance as tens and thousands of political prisoners were brought in for the excavation of the waterway.