New "Panama" canal??

[bazzaw]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/nicaragua-china-panama-canal

 

Interesting!!!! Don't think I will live to see it though

 

Barry

[NSWP]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/nicaragua-china-panama-canal

 

Interesting!!!! Don't think I will live to see it though

 

Barry

Baz, we were in Panama Canal 2 years ago on Coral Princess and a lot of widening of the Canal was going on. Now another one, like you said, could be 50 years in the making.

[Aus Traveller]

A canal through Nicaragua isn't anything new - Teddy Roosevelt wanted to build one there before the Americans took over the failed French project in Panama. This new Nicaraguan project has been under discussion for a couple of years.

 

The main problem with a new canal is that the charges will have to be high enough to cover operating costs and pay the enormous cost of building the canal. On the other hand, China is so wealthy that they probably wouldn't have to operate their canal at a profit.

[bazzaw]

Hmmm -- wars have started elsewhere over smaller things

 

New 'Panama Canal' project sparking war between Colombia and Nicaragua

 

http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=49092

 

Could be interesting times ahead in that area.

 

Barry

[Kiwi Kruzer]

A canal through Nicaragua isn't anything new - Teddy Roosevelt wanted to build one there before the Americans took over the failed French project in Panama. This new Nicaraguan project has been under discussion for a couple of years.

 

The main problem with a new canal is that the charges will have to be high enough to cover operating costs and pay the enormous cost of building the canal. On the other hand, China is so wealthy that they probably wouldn't have to operate their canal at a profit.

 

Yes ......Its been talked about for years and was the prefferred route as I dont think it would require any locks.....It was a toss up between them and Panama. I think Panama won out as they were a more stable country.

 

On a lighter note they probably kept putting it off so as not to upset the drug trade and all the drug lords in that area.:eek:

 

 

 

[Keith1010]

Thanks for sharing.

 

Keith

[Aus Traveller]

Yes ......Its been talked about for years and was the prefferred route as I dont think it would require any locks.....It was a toss up between them and Panama. I think Panama won out as they were a more stable country.

 

On a lighter note they probably kept putting it off so as not to upset the drug trade and all the drug lords in that area.:eek:

 

 

Panama wasn't a country when USA planned to take over the French Panama Canal project. The area that is now Panama was part of Columbia. After USA couldn't reach agreement with Columbia to take over the French concession, they sponsored a revolution in Panama and it became independent. They then gave USA a concession to complete the canal project.

 

I believe the reason Panama 'won out' over the Nicaragua option was that a people who had a financial interest in the French Panama canal project wanted USA to buy it so they wouldn't lose all their money. There was intensive lobbying including sending letters to all USA Congressmen using a Nicaraguan postage stamp with a volcano on it (to scare them). A volcanic eruption in Martinique that killed 30,000 people tipped the balance. By a narrow margin (4 votes I think) USA Congress voted to go with the Panama project but set the amount they would pay the French company at $40m.

 

America succeeded in building the canal where the French had failed 20 or so years earlier, but in that time there were major advances in medicine and technology. They also had tighter management controls and didn't have half their money ripped off as had happened with the French company.