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GREECE'S CORINTH CANAL
by Ted Cookson
Published in November 2007
Corinth Canal transit, 28-second video clip
Corinth Canal transit, 33-second video clip
Corinth Canal transit, 68-second video clip
On the afternoon
of 24 May 2007 I was a passenger on the 208-passenger, 10,000-ton Seabourn
Spirit when that vessel made a transit of the 3.9-mile (6.3-km)-long Corinth
Canal from west to east. Seabourn Spirit is 439 feet (134 meters) long
and 63 feet (19.2 meters) wide.
The Corinth Canal connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Aegean Sea's Saronic
Gulf. Cutting through the sandy alluvial soil of the Isthmus of Corinth, the
canal separates the Peloponnesian peninsula from the Greek mainland. In effect,
the canal creates an island out of the Peloponnesus.
The Corinth Canal, only 68.9 feet (21 meters) wide and 26 feet (8 meters) deep,
was constructed between 1881 and 1893. First the two ends were dug by a French
firm. Then, after that company went bankrupt, a Greek contractor completed the
work. The opening of the Corinth Canal a mere two dozen years after the opening
of the Suez Canal helped to propel the Greek port of Piraeus into a major
Mediterranean port. However, the expected windfall from canal tolls never
materialized. In this age of supertankers, the Corinth Canal bears an
anachronistic charm.
Because of the dangers faced by ancient mariners in their small boats, the idea
of a canal across the narrow Ismthus of Corinth arose thousands of years ago.
The first to attempt the construction of a canal was Periander, the
seventh-century ruler of Corinth. Although Periander failed to dig much, he did
improve upon the previous method of hauling small craft across the isthmus.
That method involved pulling boats over large wooden rollers. Under Periander a
stone trackway was built on which wheeled, flat vehicles could be used to pull
boats. In fact, that system of portage remained in use until the twelfth
century, and traces of the trackway can still be seen today near the canal's
western end.
Roman Emperor Julius Caeser, who ruled from 48 to 44 B. C., also planned to
build a canal across the Isthmus of Corinth. However, Caesar, of course, was
assassinated. Later, in 54-68 A. D., the infamous Roman Emperor Nero actually
participated in a ground-breaking ceremony for a canal using a golden pick, and
six thousand Judean slaves began the excavation. But Nero, too, died shortly
thereafter and the project was then abandoned until the late nineteenth century.
Small ships coming from the Western Mediterranean or from the Adriatic which are
bound for the Eastern Mediterranean or the Black Sea find the Corinth Canal
useful. Although ships narrow enough to utilize the canal can shave 248 miles
(400 kilometers) off their journey, most of the 12,000 annual canal transits are
now made for touristic purposes. Interestingly, the ships transiting the canal
hail from more than 50 different countries.
Two sightseeing options are available to those not able to sail on a cruise ship
through the Corinth Canal. The canal can be viewed safely from the sidewalk of
a highway bridge over the canal within a short distance of the town of Corinth.
Also, according to
www.periandros.gr, the web site of the company which has a 30-year
management contract for the canal, a 75-minute canal sightseeing cruise operates
daily at 10 AM. This web site also features a toll calculator for ships. The
calculation of tolls is based on a vessel's flag, the type of vessel, its port
of origin, and its previous and next port in addition to the net tonnage.
On line at
www.eptours.com/T0711-corinth.htm readers will find links to three video
clips showing my canal transit. Seabourn Spirit is seen being pulled by
a tugboat, surrounded by the canal's very steep walls, which are 170 feet (52
meters) high. One video clip shows a movable bridge and the control tower at
the eastern end of the canal. In addition, in that clip the current appears to
flow from east to west through the canal. The difference between high and low
water levels in the canal is approximately two feet (60 cm).
ABOUT TED COOKSON: Egypt's most widely-traveled travel agent, Ted has been
to every country in the world! He has also visited 307 of the 317 destinations
on the list of the Travelers' Century Club (visit
www.eptours.com and refer to World Travel Club). A travel agent in Cairo
since 1986, Ted manages EGYPT PANORAMA TOURS, a full-service travel agency, at 4
Road 79 (between Roads 9 and 10, near the "El Maadi" metro station) in Maadi.
Contact Egypt Panorama Tours (open 7 days a week 9 AM-5 PM) at: Tels. 2359-0200,
2358-5880, 2359-1301. Fax 2359-1199. E-mail:
ept@link.net. Web site:
www.eptours.com.