Greek authorities have stopped ship traffic on the Corinth Canal on Monday, after landslide eroded its steep rock walls.
It may take workers about 15 days to clear the waterway, so that it can be released for traffic, a Greek shipping ministry official told TradeWinds, citing initial estimates by Canal officials. Costas Tselikas with Elefsis Shipping Agency told TradeWinds his clients have been informed by Canal officials that the waterway will shut down for at least seven days.
The landslide was caused by heavy precipitation in the days before. A video posted on Greek news site skai.gr shows the Canal blocked in one particular spot where big blocks of earth collapsed at its bottom.
The Corinth Canal is a 6,343-metre (four mile) long gorge linking the Corinthian and Saronic Gulfs, cut into the earth in the late 19th century. Its walls rise 90 metres (300 feet) above sea level at a near-vertical angle of 80 degrees.
The Canal cannot be crossed by vessels wider than 21.4 metres and is thus too narrow for most modern, large commercial vessels to use. However, it is frequently crossed by motorships, small gas carriers, pleasure yachts and commercial yachts.
