page_title: Ship canal
hierarchical_section_title: Ship canal
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of Panama Canal Gatun Locks. Español: Esclusas Gatun Locks del Canal de Panamá. Svenska: Gatuns slussar på Panamakanalen, vy norrut emot Atlanten.
context_page_description: A ship canal is a canal especially intended to accommodate ships used on the oceans, seas, or lakes to which it is connected.
  Ship canals can be distinguished from barge canals, which intended to carry barges and other vessels specifically designed for river and/or canal navigation. Because of the constraints of accommodating vessels capable of navigating large bodies of open water, a ship canal typically offers deeper water and higher bridge clearances than a barge canal of similar vessel length and width constraints.
  Ship canals may be specially constructed from the start to accommodate ships, or less frequently they may be enlarged barge canals or canalized or channelized rivers. There are no specific minimum dimensions for ship canals, with the size being largely dictated by the size of ships in use nearby at the time of construction or enlargement.
  Ship canals may be constructed for a number of reasons, including:
  To create a shortcut and avoid lengthy detours.
  To create a navigable shipping link between two land-locked seas or lakes.
  To provide inland cities with a direct shipping link to the sea.
  To provide an economical alternative to other options.
context_section_description: A ship canal is a canal especially intended to accommodate ships used on the oceans, seas, or lakes to which it is connected.
  Ship canals can be distinguished from barge canals, which intended to carry barges and other vessels specifically designed for river and/or canal navigation. Because of the constraints of accommodating vessels capable of navigating large bodies of open water, a ship canal typically offers deeper water and higher bridge clearances than a barge canal of similar vessel length and width constraints.
  Ship canals may be specially constructed from the start to accommodate ships, or less frequently they may be enlarged barge canals or canalized  or channelized rivers. There are no specific minimum dimensions for ship canals, with the size being largely dictated by the size of ships in use nearby at the time of construction or enlargement.
  Ship canals may be constructed for a number of reasons, including:
  To create a shortcut and avoid lengthy detours.
  To create a navigable shipping link between two land-locked seas or lakes.
  To provide inland cities with a direct shipping link to the sea.
  To provide an economical alternative to other options.
caption: The Panama Canal, a shortcut from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, bypassing a circumnavigation of the Americas
exif: {}