The Nicaragua canal : potential impact on international shipping and its attendant challenges

The construction of an interoceanic canal in Nicaragua, a longstanding controversy, has once again become a source of concern in recent years, in both the global shipping industry and the world at large. Since the canal was green-lighted by the Nicaraguan government, scientists and specialists have...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Maritime Economics & Logistics
Main Authors: Chen, Jihong, Notteboom, Theo, Liu, Xiang, Yu, Hang, Nikitakos, Nikitas, Yang, Chen
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8553390
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8553390
https://doi.org/10.1057/s41278-017-0095-3
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8553390/file/8639663
Description
Summary:The construction of an interoceanic canal in Nicaragua, a longstanding controversy, has once again become a source of concern in recent years, in both the global shipping industry and the world at large. Since the canal was green-lighted by the Nicaraguan government, scientists and specialists have sharply criticized its potential to inflict lasting environmental and societal damage. The vocal doubts raised by many experts regarding the canal's feasibility have resulted in several recent postponements of construction. Studies of the project's challenges and its potential impact on international shipping suggest that the canal will potentially have wide-ranging implications on vessel sizes, the global routing of maritime freight flows and port development along the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. Many problems now hinder the project, from its economic and engineering viability to its environmental and safety hazards. This research provides a systematic analysis of the potential impact of the Nicaragua Canal on international shipping, as well as the various challenges the project faces.