Greece has closed the Corinth Canal after heavy rainfall triggered a landslide that blocked the shipping transit route.
The canal, which stretches for 6.4 kilometres and is 21.5-metres in width, serves about 11,000 ships annually due to the short transit time it offers from southern Italy to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
Corinth Canal is unable to handle ocean-going vessels but shortens the journey for small cargo ships by 700 kilometres as they can avoid the Peloponnese Peninsula.
A Greek coastguard official, who wished to stay anonymous, told Reuters: “The coastguard was notified today [February 26, 2018], went to the spot and after seeing the landslide, banned ships from sailing.”
According to the official, the canal’s operator will need about 15 days to restore the landslides damage.
The canal, which is celebrating its quasquicentennial anniversary, took some 11 years to build before operations began in 1893.
