Greece’s Corinth Canal will close again from the beginning of November 2024 through to March 2025, to continue restoration works considered necessary for the long-term safety and functionality of the canal.

Published 1 month ago

Closure Due to Landslide Damage

The Corinth Canal, which was opened in 1893, separates mainland Greece from the Peloponnese and is six kilometres (four miles) long and eight meters (26 ft) deep.  The limestone from which the canal is cut rises to 76m above sea level at its highest point.

The canal is too narrow for commercial vessels (apart from some small cruise ships), so is predominantly a tourist attraction and useful short cut for small craft – saving a lot of time not having to sail around the Peloponnese. The town of Corinth (Korinthe in Greek) lies just west of the northern end of the canal.

In January 2021, the Canal had to close suddenly to all maritime traffic after suffering considerable damage from landslides, which made passage through the canal impossible.

After extensive remedial work, the Canal was re-opened in June 2023 and then closed again on October 1, 2023 to allow restoration works to continue.

Safety and Functionality

After re-opening the Canal to all maritime traffic in May 2024, the Corinth Canal Management Company has now advised that the Canal will close again on 4th November 2024, due to the restarting of restoration works.

“This closure is necessary to ensure the long-term safety and functionality of the canal. Based on the current project schedule, the works are expected to be completed by early March 2025,” Corinth Canal S.A General Manager George Zouglis said in a letter to all interested parties.

“While we understand the inconvenience this may cause, we believe this restoration is essential for the continued efficient use of the canal. We will be monitoring the progress of the work closely and will provide a further update as soon as we have a confirmed reopening date for navigation.”

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Our thanks to Roditis Yachting for advising Noonsite of this news.

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It should also be noted that another useful canal link in Greece – the Lefkas Canal – is also closed at this time. See the following news article for more details:

Greece, Lefkas (Lefkada):  Swing Bridge Ceases Operation for Yachts.

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Related News:

• Corinth Canal Re-Opens for Business May 2024
• Corinth Canal Company: Canal Operating Extension (September 2023)
• Corinth Canal Company: Canal Re-opening Update
• Corinth Canal Closure Continues (Noonsite May 2021)
• The Greek Reporter:  Greece’s Suez Crisis
• The Greek Reporter:  Greece Vows to Re-open Canal
• The Greek Reporter: Corinth Canal Closed Temporarily after Landslide

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Related Links

• Corinth Canal – Noonsite
• Corinth Canal Tolls Calculator
• Corinth Canal Company
• Roditis Yachting Agency

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