Inside Europe's mini-Suez Canal that saves ships from storm-prone seas

Europe boasts its own mini-Suez Canal, the Kiel Canal, which has been in operation for over a century and sees up to 130 ships daily.

The 61-mile freshwater canal, located in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, was completed in 1895 and later expanded.

It links the North Sea at Brunsbuttel to the Baltic Sea at Kiel-Holtenau. By using the Kiel Canal instead of going around the Jutland Peninsula, an average of 290 miles is saved.

This not only saves time but also avoids storm-prone seas and the need to pass through the Danish straits. It's one of the world's busiest man-made waterways, with an annual average of 32,000 ships (90-130 daily), transporting approximately 100 million tonnes of goods.

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In addition to its two sea entrances, the Kiel Canal is linked to the navigable River Eider by the short Gieselau Canal at Oldenbuttel. The canal took 9,000 workers eight years to construct and had to be widened again to accommodate Germany's new generation of battleships.

Despite the majority of inland shipping in Germany being conducted by barge, the Kiel can accommodate serious boats. However, the latest generations of container ships, cruise ships and oil tankers are simply too large to fit under the canal's bridges, reports .

Initially named the Kaiser-Wilhelm Canal and known in Germany as the Nord-Ostsee Kanal, the Kiel was partially constructed for military purposes.

In the late 19th century, the newly formed nation was showcasing its commercial and military prowess, acknowledging the unique advantage of having a passage through German territory between the Baltic and the North Sea. Large vessels have limited capacity for emergency stops, and their steering abilities are also curtailed when navigating the canal at a slower pace, making it vital not to block their route.

Despite this, leisure users exist, and annually, rowing teams participate in what's dubbed as the world's most challenging rowing race, a 12.7 section commencing at Rendsburg, attracting top international crews.