# Does ALL commercial and military shipping go through the Panama canal now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-all-commercial-and-military-shipping-go-through-the-panama-canal-now/736640 "2015-11-04T19:12:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-all-commercial-and-military-shipping-go-through-the-panama-canal-now/736640/21 "2015-11-05T20:12:04Z")
When I boarded an _Iowa_ in 1986 I was surprised at how narrow in the beam they were. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-all-commercial-and-military-shipping-go-through-the-panama-canal-now/736640/22 "2015-11-06T01:12:51Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > There’s also [the Nicaraguan Canal project](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua_Canal)which the Chinese announced they were going to take over and begin funding last year, but nothing much has come of that. I was wondering about that, I was aware that service roads were being constructed already, but not much about the main proyect, and then I found this today, and “hot out of the [del]presses[/del] servers”: > **[Nicaragua approves environmental, social impact assessments to begin canal...](https://ticotimes.net/2015/11/05/nicaragua-canal-passes-environmental-assessments)** > > The government of Daniel Ortega has approved environmental and social impact studies allowing construction of the Nicaragua Canal to commence in 2016. > [@](#): > > Nicaragua approves environmental, social impact assessments to begin canal construction > [@](#): > > Nicaragua approved environmental and social impact assessments on Thursday so that construction could begin on a massive canal by Chinese firm HKND that would connect the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean through the Central American country, according to official sources. > > “Taking these highly scientific and technical studies into consideration,” officials from the Nicaraguan Canal Commission decided to OK the impact analyses and commence the project, according to commission spokesperson Telémaco Talavera. The commission’s official resolution was formally presented to representatives from HKND in a public act. > > “We are officially authorizing HKND to now begin the structural design and construction processes” of the canal, said commission president Manuel Coronel in a ceremony. > > Environmental and social impact studies were done by the British advisers Environmental Resources Management (ERM) on behalf of HKND and revealed to the government in September after three months of analysis. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-all-commercial-and-military-shipping-go-through-the-panama-canal-now/736640/23 "2015-11-06T01:58:01Z")
Wasn’t Port Stanley (Falkland Islands) a big port before the Panama Canal opened? I wonder how many ships stop at Port Stanley these days? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-all-commercial-and-military-shipping-go-through-the-panama-canal-now/736640/24 "2015-11-06T02:23:30Z")
I doubt it. Why would it be? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-all-commercial-and-military-shipping-go-through-the-panama-canal-now/736640/25 "2015-11-06T03:20:55Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I doubt it. Why would it be? Actually, [Port Stanley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley,_Falkland_Islands) served as a major repair station for ships using the Straits of Magellan route, and also served as a coaling station for the Royal Navy. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-all-commercial-and-military-shipping-go-through-the-panama-canal-now/736640/26 "2015-11-06T09:16:56Z")
In 2011, the German Navy sail training ship, the [Gorch Fock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorch_Fock_(1958)), sailed through the Strait of Magellan. This was done for training purposes only, the ship subsequently sailed North along the coast of South America and it returned through the Panama canal. (It was an ill-fated journey, BTW, but for different reasons). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-all-commercial-and-military-shipping-go-through-the-panama-canal-now/736640.md?page=1)