Highlights

• All shipping from the Middle East and beyond passes across the Indian ocean, through the Malacca Straits between Singapore and Indonesia before reaching the Vietnam and South China Seas and the Pacific Ocean. The Malacca straits are one of the busiest shipping lanes and are a narrow and difficult channel to traverse, besides being plagued by piracy.
• There is an urgent and essential requirement to find a safer, faster and more convenient alternative route.
• Hence, this proposal to create a Shipping Canal across the ancient trans-shipment path across the KRA Isthmus of the Thailand Peninsula for better and more secure and faster Sea traffic

Key Concepts

Traffic through a Canal is measured in TEU’s (20 ft container equivalent units) which can be roughly estimated and the size and design of the Canal determined accordingly (perhaps it would be about 15000 to 20000 TEU’s). Also allowing for passage o even the largest Oil Tankers/ Containerships.

Action Points

1. 1. Enter the Canal at Sea level. Entry to each canal must have a very wide entrance way or even two adjoining entrance ways converging and leading to the entrance of the Canal. This will help reduce waiting time, which at the Panama Canal could be up to a few days. All the channels should be wide and deep enough to safely handle even the largest of ships
   2. The first lock can lift in a step of appropriate height (even up to 85 ft as in the Panama Canal) and dropped again in appropriate steps taking into account the variation in sea levels at both ends of the Canal. The lock sizes should easily cater for the biggest ships expected.
   3. Reservoirs should be located at selected sites as lakes that will hold the water to rapidly fill the lock. The reservoir bed should ideally be higher than the lock level.
   4. Estimated costs for a Canal length of about 100 Kms would be about US$ 25 to 30 billion. The final Rama Nahar canal will perhaps be even shorter depending on the actual alignment.
   5. The project can also, be better designed as having two Canals which will allow for 2-way traffic and, with proper coordination, allow for water from one lock be used to fill another lock in the second canal and thus reduce the reservoir sizes. This will also, greatly reduce the transit time and be more profitable, even as the initial cost may increase by about an additional 50 to 60 percent.

Ofcourse, it is ideal but not necessary that both the Canals be of the same size, as extra-large ships are not that common and can be safely accommodated by using the larger Canal for both directions as the need arises.

6. The savings in time and fuel for each size of ship and the safety issues should be taken into account for determining the charges.
7. The Company which will be operating this Canal should be registered in India or Thailand and its Managing Director / CEO should also, be from India or Thailand, as this idea is from India and access to the Canal would be through Indian waters, even as the canal itself will be through Thailand. The major shareholders in that Company should be India, Thailand, and Vietnam. Other shareholders can be from like minded and friendly countries of South-Asia and even the Asia- Pacific region each holding between 5% and 10% as may be agreed to.

Also, develop that Car- Nicobar, island into a strong military and trading base. This can control access to all shipping through the region and also act as a deter-rent to piracy. The other islands of the archipelago can also develop for tourism.

Such a large and cooperative venture across all Countries of the region would also, lead to improved trade and relationships between the Countries.

Conclusion

The maritime trade between the Arabian Sea and the Pacific Ocean region is growing greatly. The narrow Malacca Straits are restrictive and also, plagued by piracy. It is therefore necessary to provide for a safer and shorter alternative route. This is best done by constructing a Panama type canal, designed as per today’s technology, across the narrow peninsular neck of Thailand. Such a ‘RAMA NAHAR’ would greatly benefit all the Countries of the region and also, the other countries now restricted to the Malacca Straits.

This Project is under consideration.

JAI BHARAT! – JAI HIND!

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