LAT: Rival to Panama Canal Planned in Nicaragua

[DeepModem Mom]

Rival to Panama Canal Planned
Nicaragua intends to spend $20 billion on a new Central American waterway that was initially proposed in the 19th century.
By Héctor Tobar and Chris Kraul, Times Staff Writers
September 30, 2006

MEXICO CITY — Seeking to cash in on booming Asian exports, Nicaragua will announce a $20-billion proposal next week to build a canal linking the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans that would accommodate ships too large to use the Panama Canal, Nicaraguan officials said Friday.

If approved by Nicaragua's Congress, the project would be a joint public-private venture financed by unnamed investors, said Lindolfo Monjarretz, a spokesman for Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolanos.

The Grand Inter-Oceanic Nicaragua Canal would make use of the 60-mile-wide Lake Nicaragua and follow at least part of a route first proposed by American and European entrepreneurs in the 19th century, officials said.

"We will have a deeper draft than the Panama Canal and reach a different market than Panama," Monjarretz said in a telephone interview. "The construction of the canal … will be pushed forward by Nicaragua because it's necessary for global trade."

The official announcement will come Monday, when Nicaragua plays host to a summit of Western Hemisphere defense ministers, including U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Monjarretz said....

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-canal30sep30,0,7264072.story?track=mostemailedlink

[whistle]

1. It was one of the original plans by the U.S. to put a canal through

...Nicaragua back when the French investors to the Panama Canal had gone bankrupt.

<snip>
Nicaragua Canal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Nicaragua Canal is a proposed waterway that would connect the Caribbean Sea, and therefore, the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean through Nicaragua, in Central America. Such a canal would follow rivers up to Lake Nicaragua, and then cut across the isthmus of Rivas to reach the Pacific.

Construction of a canal along the route using the San Juan River, was proposed in the early colonial era, due to the favourable geography of the area, since this river empties the lake into the Caribbean. Plans by the United States to build such a canal were abandoned only in the early 20th century, after the purchase of the French interests in the Panama Canal at a reasonable cost. Speculation on a new canal continues, however; the steady increase in world shipping, together with the possibility of establishing shorter shipping routes, may make this a viable project. Alternatively, a railway, or a combined railway and oil pipeline, could be built to link ports on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

<more>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua_Canal

[roody]

2. It will disrupt wildlife and indigenous lands,

just to get more cheap plastic crap and sweatshop clothing to buyers.

[Kolesar]

3. Destroy the countryside to build what the world already has

...a canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific. What a waste of money.

[pitohui]

5. don't be too sure

i'm going to have to study more to find out what the implications will be but i will say -- the panama canal, because it demands protection of a huge watershed, protects a large acreage and a large number of species, it is a great wildlife area

nicaragua is going to grow in population, if a canal requiring a watershed ends in requiring that large parts of countryside be preserved as forest rather than agricultural desert -- this could be a good thing

i'm not saying it is, i don't know enough, i'm saying it's a possible

[Toucano]

24. No research needed. It's not a good thing.

The large acreage that ends up being protected is completely offset by the isolation of animal populations that will occur.

Basically, you're trapping an enormous amount of wildlife between Nicaragua and Panama, limiting the gene pool and threatening their survival.

It's not worth it.

[IndianaGreen]

29. Rumsfeld is involved in this

which means that the Pentagon has its own secret plans for this new canal that will allow carrier battle groups to be quickly redeployed from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

[mitchtv]

9. What will happen to the world's only

fresh water shark?

[pitohui]

17. well if the canal encourages protection of watersheds

it could be a plus for the shark

panama is a famous fishing destination, although i think it's a catch and release, you are not allowed to keep these giant fish (again, someone correct me here if i'm wrong and there are tourist licenses where you actually keep the fish you catch)

again, i don't know enough to say but i'll bump you up and perhaps someone else can tell more if more is known

[msongs]

4. CHINA spending its huge trade surplus against us nt

[bilgewaterbill]

6. The Panama Canal is a strategic choke point.

The canal proposed in Nicaragua would diffuse the threat posed by a single transit point between the Atlantic and Pacific. This is NOT a bad idea.

[davidinalameda]

13. you're right

and doesn't the Chinese government have some control over the Panama Canal now

[bilgewaterbill]

14. I believe so. nt

[BrotherBuzz]

19. Operations are contracted to a private Chinese company

Many (right-wing wackos) believe it is just a shadow outfit for the Chinese government, though.

[Mudoria]

23. Not just right-wing wackos..

[davidinalameda]

25. is there such a thing as a private Chinese company

[BrotherBuzz]

28. Li Ka-shing runs Hutchison Whampoa Limited which has close ties to...

Beijing Communist government. Who owns Hutchinson Whampoa?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. dupe, delete

..

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. Some listers have expressed opposition,

but as a link to the Nicaragua Canal article points out, ships larger than the Panamax class are incapable of transiting the Panama Canal.

Many modern ships, known as post-Panamax ships, are far larger than this (and hence cannot use the canal). This is the case for supertankers and the largest modern container ships; much bulk merchandise such as grain products is moved primarily on Panamax (or sub-Panamax) ships. U.S. Navy supercarriers are also in the post-Panamax class; the Nimitz class aircraft carriers are 333 metres (1092 ft) long overall with a beam of 41 metres (134 ft), while the flight deck is 76.8 metres (252 ft) wide.

I suppose the objecting listers are still using 286-vintage computers too.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

10. national geographic syndrome

No, they just have an unrealistic view of the developing world and believe it is best served by benevolent neglect.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

11. Thanks.

I'm smiling.

[daleo]

12. This could take pressure off the arctic, anyway

The Northwest Passage is expected to become ice-free, due to global warming.

[Nevernose]

15. In the 50s, they were going to use nukes to dig it

In the 50s, the US gov't had a plan to use nukes to dig it. Anyone have any links or more info?

[pitohui]

16. a quick buzz around google

i don't have anything definitive but investing a little more time might turn up something interesting

there was some discussion of improving the panama canal in the 1960s by excavation with nuclear devices, a fairly silly proposal which doesn't seem to have been taken very seriously except perhaps by desperate men like ed teller who were frantic to find some "peaceful" use for the atom

i tried "nicaragua canal nuclear" -- you could tweak this a bit and see what you get

[Nevernose]

20. I saw it on a repeat PBS show on History or Discovery or similar

It wasn't the first time I'd heard about it, just the last time. Damn you, google, for not psychically knowing what I want when I want it. Now I have to actually THINK.

[IndianaGreen]

18. Is this why Condi Rice is making threats about a Sandinista electoral win?

The US is one truly evil empire!

US warns Nicaraguans not to back Ortega

By Adam Thomson in Managua

Updated: 12:42 a.m. ET Sept 15, 2006

The US ambassador to Nicaragua has issued a vigorous warning to this small Central American country's electors against supporting Daniel Ortega, the veteran leftwing Sandinista leader and the frontrunner in November's presidential election.

In a frank interview with the FT, Paul Trivelli said Mr Ortega was "undemocratic" and would roll back much of the advances made in recent years. And, underlining the concern felt in Washington about the regional influence of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, the ambassador said he had no doubt that Venezuela was playing an important role in the election.

"It's one thing to be truly democratic. It's another thing to do what the Sandinistas really have done, which is to distort and manipulate democracy for partisan and personal benefit," Mr Trivelli said. "The fact that has been in charge of the Sandinista movement for 25 years or more gives you a clue about his democratic tendencies."

The ambassador said that an Ortega victory – while vague on many issues, the 60-year-old former rebel leader has talked of increasing the role of the state and renegotiating Cafta, the trade agreement between the US and Central America – would force Washington to "re-evaluate" relations.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14840215

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

26. "distort and manipulate democracy for partisan and personal benefit"

It's not a pot calling a kettle black. It's a neutron star crushed within its Schwarzschild radius calling wheat flour black!

[HuffleClaw]

21. it would end up costing a LOT more than $20 billion

but other than the fact it would doom their nation (more than it already has been that is) to eternal being-fucked-over by BushCo. its a fine idea.

[Bacchus39]

27. I don't think it will be built in 2 years

I believe Nicaragua is looking for some economic independence and prosperity.

[Judi Lynn]

22. NICARAGUA’S Canal dreams

NICARAGUA’S Canal dreams
By Ian Watson
01 October 2006
Nicaragua plans its own Panama Canal



NICARAGUA will reveal a $20bn (£11.2bn, E16bn) plan this week to build a
canal linking the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, which would compete with the
near 100-year-old Panama Canal.

The Grand Inter-Oceanic Nicaragua Canal would make use of the 60-mile-wide Lake Nicaragua and follow at least part of a route first proposed by American and European entrepreneurs in the 19th century. The canal would be able to offer passage to ships too large to use the Panama Canal, Nicaraguan officials claim.

If approved by Nicaragua’s Congress, the project would be a joint ­public-private venture financed by private investors, said Lindolfo Monjarretz, a spokesman for Enrique Bolanos, the Nicaraguan President.

The official announcement will be made on Monday, when Nicaragua hosts a summit of western hemisphere defence ministers, including US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

“We will have a deeper draft than the Panama Canal and reach a different market than Panama,” Monjarretz told the Los Angeles Times. “The construction of the canal … will be pushed forward by Nicaragua because it’s necessary for global trade.”
(snip/...)

http://www.thebusinessonline.com/Stories.aspx?NICARAGUA%E2%80%99S%20Canal%20dreams&StoryID=BA192237-D530-45E1-A250-144462E54665&SectionID=F3B76EF0-7991-4389-B72E-D07EB5AA1CEE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[dkofos]

30. Save your money. Thanks to global warming we have

the Northwest Passage