Norwegian shipping company Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines made history on Wednesday as their 24,344-ton 195.82-metre-long, 22.52-metre-wide Braemar broke the record to become the largest ship to cross the Corinth Canal, which is only 24 meters wide at its narrowest point.
The 929-guest cruise ship is currently sailing on a sold-out 25-night ‘Corinth Canal & Greek Islands’ cruise, which set sail from the UK in late September.
Passengers were in awe of the breathtaking views as they made their way through the iconic Corinth Canal, which is one of the most important achievements of engineering in Greece, given it was constructed during the period of 1880 to 1893.
The crew on board was also impressed taking as many photos as they could of their transit through the Corinth Canal, which joins the Corinth Gulf to the Saronic Gulf and is an important navigational route that once allowed ships to enter the Aegean Sea.
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The canal was constructed in the late 19th century, although it was a 2000-year-old dream in the making. Before its construction, ships in the Aegean Sea that wanted to cross to the Adriatic or anchor in Corinth, a rich shipping city at the time, had to circle the Peloponnese, which would add an extra 185 nautical miles to their journey.
Technically, the Corinth Canal makes the Peloponnese an island, but since it’s so narrow, most people still refer to it as a peninsula.
Clare Ward from Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines announced, “This is such an exciting sailing and tremendous milestone in Fred. Olsen’s 171-year history and we are thrilled to have been able to share it with our guests. At Fred. Olsen, we strive to create memories that last a lifetime, and with guests onboard Braemar able to get so close to the edges of the Corinth Canal that they could almost touch the sides, we know that this will be a holiday that they will never forget.
“We have already had exceptionally high interest in our second Corinth Canal cruise, in Spring 2021, and we can’t wait to do it all over again!”
*Watch the video here-
