The Great Loop is an interconnected loop of waterways that enables transport throughout the entire Eastern US without traversing open ocean (with a few exceptions – see below!). There are many routes to take along the path, but the longest possible option is around 6,000 miles total.
Canal des Pangalanes: Madagascar’s 400 mile waterway
Along the east coast of the island country of Madagascar sits the Canal des Pangalanes, a canal that parallels the Indian Ocean coastline.
Suez Canal Expansion: Shaving off 15 hours in transit time
In 2016, the “New Suez Canal” was opened which created an additional shipping lane and widened/deepened the original canal to accommodate larger barges.
Qattara Depression: Proposals to create a lake from sand
In the Sahara Desert in Western Egypt, there is a depression called the Qattara Depression that covers an area of more than 7,500 sq. miles (comparable to the size of New Jersey).