Nicaragua Parliament Starts Process to Adopt "Canal Law"

Submitted by Juanno on Wed, 2012/06/13 - 14:12.

http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/nacionales/254534-parlamento-inicia-proc...

Committee on Infrastructure and Public Services to consult with 14 other commissions and independent organizations

Canal to allow the passage of large ships between the Caribbean and the Pacific to be completed within a maximum of 10 years at a cost of $30 Billion.

Daniel Ortega's government plans to build the canal for deep draft vessels in a period not exceeding 10 years.

According to the project, which has been described as a "priority" and "national heritage", the work will be "complementary" rather than "competitive" with the Panama Canal.

Nicaragua, which will promote the project as a joint venture of public and private. Nicaragua will own 51% of the shares and profits, and provide the remaining 49% to investors, which can be countries, international organizations or individuals etc.

There are six alternative routes for the construction of the interoceanic canal through Nicaragua, including linking the Pacific and the Caribbean by the Great Lake and the river San Juan, bordering Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

The other routes traverse the Great Lake and other rivers in the north and the Nicaraguan Caribbean.

Costa Rica has said that Nicaragua should ask their opinion on the possible construction of a canal, because this work may affect their rights.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Costa Rica sent a diplomatic note to the Nicaraguan Government in which he requested "all documentation relating to the possible construction of that canal."

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A bit of history

Submitted by fyl on Thu, 2012/06/14 - 12:01.

The idea/discussion of a canal across Nicaragua comes up here every couple of years. Will such a canal ever happen? I have no idea but it is not necessarily a bad idea.

  1. It would likely be a much different type of canal -- one without locks.
  2. Even with Panama's upgrades, all predictions are that the Panama Canal won't be able to handle expected shipping volumes.
  3. A Nicaragua canal is a lot shorter for many of the trips.
  4. Assuming the lock-free canal is built, there are other benefits to Nicaragua.

There are lots of things written about this. For a short explanation of where and how of the Nicaragua option, I recommend Canals from Pacific to Caribbean. From that article

On the other hand, by connecting Cocibolco with Xolotlan (Lake Managua) via the Tipitapa River and then from Xolotlan north through Chinandega and eastward via the San Juan River a real sea level gravity fed canal is possible. Not just that, but the Chinandega plains could also be served by a related irrigation system that would boost Nicaraguan agricultural production dramatically. In fact, this latter options is being considered even without a canal.