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Guatemala and Honduras hatch "dry" canal plans

Guatemala and Honduras hatch "dry" canal plans
Guatemala and Honduras have joined the fray to emulate the Panama Canal announcing massive landbridge projects between the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts.

Thanks to administrating the path joining the two oceans, the Panama Canal Authority of Panama (ACP) has given contributions to the national coffers of over $7bn in the last 12 years which has historically generated Central American neighbours’ envy and fed their dream of building their own crossing.


Guatemala is shaping up to be the first one after almost 13 years of negotiations.
On 17 July President Otto Perez declared of national interest the public-private project of a dry canal, which will cost around $10bn and would be ready by 2020 after seven years of construction. Unlike the Panamanian maritime route, a 372km-double track railway linking two ports to be built on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts that will have the capacity to dock six ships simultaneously and receive vessels up to 22,000 teu, according to the Guatemalan authorities.


Honduras does not want to be left aside and says it has agreed with China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., the financing and construction of a $20bn dry canal of 280km. The construction would take 15 years.



They join Nicaragua that is the only one looking at emulating the Panama Canal. The project designed a Hong Kong-based company, is still on a feasibility basis but considers a $40Bn investment for a sea route of 286km and the construction of free economic zones along the waterway with state-of-the art ports at each Atlantic and Pacific entrance and would take 10 years to build.