There is a report in The Times (of London) that has been repeated in our local paper, The Australian. It goes like this.
Nicaragua has awarded China the concession to build a canal linking the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean that will rival the Panama Canal.
The estimated cost is $US40 Billion and will stretch 190 km, spanning Lake Nicaragua close to the Pacific and meet the Caribbean at a place yet to be decided. Work is expected to begin in May 2014 and be completed by 2019.
The work will consist of a conventional canal, a railway, an oil pipeline, and two airports. The Chinese will be granted a 100 year concession to operate the waterway.
Many of us will be familiar with the Panama Canal which was built in 1914 and comprises a series of locks to enable ocean going ships to travel from sea level to the lakes then back to sea level. These locks are now too narrow and too short for the largest of modern shipping. To sort this problem a Spanish led consortium has been widening parts of the canal and expanding the capacity of the locks at a cost of about $US 5.25 Billion this work will be completed by 2014.
So there's an excellent photo opportunity for all those lads who like cruising, to get some good snaps for the Forum. Stu
-- Edited by stuhogg on Sunday 9th of June 2013 02:01:21 AM
