Rockfall forces temporary closure of Corinth canal

Greece has closed the Corinth canal after a rockfall that followed heavy rain, temporarily blocking a transit route used mainly by commercial ships and pleasure yachts. The 6.4km canal serves about 11,000 ships a year, offering a short transit from southern Italy to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, saving mariners a 700km journey around the Peloponnese Peninsula. But its 21.5m width means it is not a key waterway for ocean-going vessels. Local station Korinthos TV showed chunks of rock which had peeled off the canal's steep walls and fallen into the waterway. A Greek coast guard official told Reuters on Monday that the canal's operator will need about 15 days to restore it. Conceptualised in ancient times, the canal started operations in 1893.

Greece has closed the Corinth canal after a rockfall that followed heavy rain, temporarily blocking a transit route used mainly by commercial ships and pleasure yachts. The 6.4km canal serves about 11,000 ships a year, offering a short transit from s
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 28, 2018, with the headline Rockfall forces temporary closure of Corinth canal. Subscribe