Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua Planning Rival to Panama Canal

[Smaland]

http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.324174.1289474599!/image/3204959484.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_295/3204959484.jpg
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez


The recent border dispute between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is a sign of an ambitious plan by Venezuela, Iran and Nicaragua to create a "Nicaragua Canal" linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that would rival the existing Panama Canal.

Rest of story (http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/iran-venezuela-plan-to-build-rival-to-panama-canal-1.324173)

[The Lawspeaker]

Not a bad idea. I hope they will pull it off as it would create some more competition. Although I do hope that the US Navy will monitor the area closely.

[The Lawspeaker]

Sometimes I wonder whether it would benefit Europe if we were to come up with a similar canal here: leading through Southern Denmark or Northern Germany when Russia's economic importance increases would it potentially save ships travel time (as they now have to sail through the Danish Straits).

During the High Middle Ages the Baltic Sea trade was one of the most important in Europe (or the world for that matter) and the motor behind the Hanseatic League. This leaves me to wonder whether (coupled with the Russian pipe lines to Europe) the Baltic Sea could turn into a new sea of commerce.

It would turn the Baltic region into a new commercial hub and it would be Denmark, Germany, Latvia and Estonia that would profit the most as it could also lead to more infrastructural projects (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fehmarn_Belt_bridge) across the Danish Straits linking Scandinavia and the European mainland closer together.

[SwordoftheVistula]

There's been one for over 100 years:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiel_canal

[The Lawspeaker]

There's been one for over 100 years:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiel_canal
I know the Kiel Canal (http://www.kiel-canal.org/english.htm) abut that's not what I am talking about. I am talking a helluva lot bigger (http://www.atlas.com.eg/scg.html#15) here. Comparable to the Suez Canal or the planned Nicaragua Canal. There are some ships that can't pass through the Kiel Canal because the bridges are in the way. So it would either have to be a reconstruction or expansion of the Kiel Canal or something new altogether.