The Corinth Canal, one of the most important infrastructure works of modern Greece and regularly used by small cruising boats, is to remain closed to maritime traffic for some time following a landslide in January.

Published 3 years ago

The Canal was closed in January 2021 after suffering damage from landslides which made maritime passage through the canal dangerous.

Repair work is currently under way, but there is no clear timetable as to when it will be completed according to a report from The Greek Reporter.

Studies carried out to date by the Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport, indicated that moisture and erosion caused the loss of the stone piers that supported and protected the ground from falling into the canal.

With the country preparing to re-open to tourism this summer, cruisers planning to pass through the Canal, from the Ionian to the Aegean Seas will either have to cancel their trip or take the much longer and route around the Peloponnesian peninsula.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was briefed on repair plans when he visited the Canal recently.

Mr Mitsotakis said full repairs were necessary to ensure the safe passage of ships through the channel.

“It is a very important project and we should not forget that it was built in the 19th century. The time has come now, in the 21th century for the necessary interventions,” he said.

Construction work started on the canal in 1882  and it was opened on July 25 1893. 

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