The Corinth Canal reopened to shipping on Wednesday, slightly ahead of schedule, after more than six months of work to address landslides and rockfalls along the historic Greek waterway.
The canal, which separates the Peloponnese from southern mainland Greece, had been closed since mid-November 2025 following a series of rockfalls and small landslides. Officials had initially expected it to reopen in July.
Stabilization work in Corinth Canal mostly completed to restore shipping
The canal management company said most of the conservation and stabilization work on the canal’s banks has now been successfully completed.
The problem mainly affected the southern banks of the canal on the Peloponnesian side. The latest closure followed earlier major collapses of earth and rocks in 2020 and 2021, which had already raised concerns about the long-term stability of the waterway.
The company said particular attention was given to the canal’s importance for shipping, tourism, and the local economy during the summer season. It added that additional work will continue as part of broader efforts to modernize and upgrade the canal.
A historic Greek waterway
The Corinth Canal is 6.34 kilometers long and was excavated between 1881 and 1893. It was built to allow vessels to avoid the lengthy journey around the Peloponnese, creating a direct maritime passage between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf.
However, the canal’s narrow dimensions mean it is no longer suitable for most modern commercial ships. It is only 24.6 meters wide at sea level and has a maximum depth of eight meters. Today, it mainly serves smaller vessels and a large number of tourist boats.
Corinth canal shipping has faced a long history of closures
The canal has repeatedly faced problems caused by rockfalls and unstable slopes. One of its most serious closures came at the end of World War II, when retreating German occupation forces dumped railway carriages into the waterway and blew up sections of the banks.
That destruction blocked the canal with around 60,000 cubic meters of soil and forced it to remain closed for five years.
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