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The recent breeding of the Panamanian Flag Ever Given at one end of the largest navigation channels in the world has caused a strong impact on international trade.

That is why we have decided to talk about the navigation channels and what are the most important in the world.

What are navigation channels?

A navigation channel is a waterway or water course of natural or artificial origin.

Artificial navigation channels are very common in many cities, built by the human being, wide and deep enough so that a ship can navigate on it.

Types of navigation channels

Natural navigation channels

Are those geographical accidents carried out by nature without the intervention of man and located in the last sections of a river, a delta or a narrow, although this is usually quite narrow.

Artificial navigation channels

They are also narrow passages, but pass through a watershed, the limit region between two hydrographic basins.

To have an artificial channel it is necessary to dig a long trench and ensure its continuous water supply; This usually is achieved by connecting it directly with the sea, taking water from rivers or springs or pumping the liquid from other sources.

The reasons for building channels are varied, but usually serve to connect bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, seas or oceans.

For example, the Suez Canal was created in the nineteenth century to physically separate Asia and Africa and thus facilitate the pass from Europe to South Asia, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea.

Most important navigation channels in the world

The Suez Canal

The Suez Canal is another of those important navigable channels worldwide. It is situated in Egypt and joins the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea.

This work of man converted the Sinai region into a new peninsula, turning it into the border between the continents of Africa and Asia.

It has a length of 163 kilometers, between Puerto Said and Suez.

It is the river way that makes it possible to go directly from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea without the need to border the entire African continent, so its strategic importance is incredible, both at the merchandise level and at the level of tourism.

The Panama Canal

Without a doubt, one of the most important channels is the Panama Canal.

We can say that it is an authentic wonders of engineering, in addition to being one of the most important channels around the world.

This channel is an interopean navigation path between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. It crosses the Panama isthmus at its narrowest point and has an extension of more than 80 km. A maritime passage through which more than 12,000 boats circulate a year, both transport and passenger.

The Corinth Canal

Perhaps not so famous, but another of the important in the world of cruises, is the Channel of Corinth, in Greece.

They say about this channel that is another of the great engineering of the world. The truth is that its beauty is evident, something that also happens with its size.

This channel unites the Gulf of Corinth with the Aegean Sea by the Corinth isthmus.

It was excavated on the rock at the end of the 19th century and has a height of more than 40 meters between these rocks, something that is impressive seen from a cruise.

While it is true that the width does not allow some of today’s biggest ships to circulate out there, it is still a very important and strategic attraction that will leave you completely amazed.

The Grand Canal of China

We are heading this time to China. That is where we find the Grand Canal of China, one of the largest projects of ancient China.

It is one of the oldest (it began to be built at 486 a. C. under the Wu family dynasty) and also one of the largest in the world, surpassing even the Suez or Panama to the one.

This channel begins in Beijing and ends at Hangzhou, so it has more than 1700 kilometers of travel.

The Kiel Canal

Finally, we find the Kiel Canal, in Germany. Recall that this city has the port of Kiel, one of the most important north of Europe.

It is a channel of more than 90 km in length. Its purpose is nothing other than communicating the Baltic Sea with the North Sea, a connection that is able to save enough fuel and hours on the commercial and tourist routes between both seas.

The channel has four locks in the last sections, where both seas are located.

These locks remain open most of the time to facilitate circulation, both commercial and tourist boats.

Importance of navigation channels

Currently, channels facilitate the transportation of millions of tons of goods and raw materials a year between production zones and destination areas.

Undoubtedly, the importance of these as strategic points for world trade will continue to increase over time.

Many governments seek to develop these infrastructure projects to increase the rapidity of supply chains and economic growth.

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International arbitration is one of the alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in international trade. In the event of a discrepancy or breach of the purchase-sale contract by one of the parties (for example, in the face of the buyer’s refusal to pay), the affected party has the possibility of resorting to a specialized body to seek a quick and friendly solution. However, going this way is only possible if a clause on the subject is included in the purchase-sale contract. Its inclusion, therefore, is the most recommended.

One of the most important instances of international arbitration is the International Court of Arbitration. This service has been in operation since 1919 and is provided by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which brings together more than 130 member countries around the world.

Today we will talk about how arbitrage works and what are the advantages, so read on if you want to know more.

How is the international arbitration process?

The members of the Court are responsible for ensuring the application of the ICC’s international arbitration rules and for supervising the arbitration process. What the Court does not do is decide on the disputes that come before it. Instead, it appoints third parties, called “arbitrators”, who are international jurists of recognized level, who study the case and finally give a verdict that has to be complied with by the parties.

It begins with the presentation of the demand for the initiation of the arbitration process and the notification to the defendant for, later, the answer to the demand takes place. Next, the appointment of the arbitrators is made and their appointment is communicated.

In these phases of international arbitration, in addition to the interested parties, the General Secretariat of the Arbitral Court, the Arbitral Court, and the Arbitral Court (the arbitrators) intervene.

After the provision for expenses has been paid, the Secretary-General delivers the file to the arbitral tribunal. When the arbitral Tribunal receives the file, and once the parties have been heard, the arbitration proceedings are instructed through the “Mission Statement”, a document in which its mission is specified and which must be sent to the arbitral Court within two months. Likewise, it will communicate to the Court the provisional calendar that it intends to follow.

When the arbitral Court receives the “Mission Statement”, it proceeds to approve the decision made by the arbitrators. The process ends with the issuance of the arbitration award or final decision, which cannot be appealed (as is the case with the judgment of a Court of Justice) since there is no “second arbitration instance”. However, before the issuance of the final award, the parties may request any correction or supplement to it.

Advantages of arbitration

Among the main advantages associated with international arbitration as a mechanism for the resolution of commercial disputes, we highlight the following:

• The simplicity of the dispute resolution procedure.
• Speed: in general, less time is required than in judicial processes.
• Flexibility: the parties have the right to choose between a single arbitrator or an arbitral tribunal composed of several arbitrators, depending on the complexity of the dispute.
• Neutrality: the arbitral Tribunal must constitute a neutral position for the resolution of disputes, being detached from the judicial bodies of the countries of which the parties involved are natural.
• High technical quality: given the possibility of appointing arbitrators specializing in the subject matter of the dispute, the arbitrators usually have greater availability of time to study the case under dispute, which may result in greater efficiency, as well as robustness and argumentative support of the award.
• Confidentiality: the parties can opt for absolute confidentiality of the entire arbitration process (as opposed to the general principle of publicity of judicial processes).
• Default cost: known from the beginning of the process.

After knowing its operation and its advantages, it is not surprising that international arbitration has consolidated itself as a mechanism for extrajudicial dispute resolution in foreign trade operations.