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Waterway




A waterway is any navigable body of Water . These include River s, Lake s, Ocean s, and Canal s. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:

  • The waterway must be deep enough to allow the Draft Depth of the Vessel s using it;

  • The waterway must be wide enough to allow passage for the Beam Width of the vessels using it;

  • The waterway must be free of barriers to navigation such as Waterfall s and rapids, or have a way around them (such as Canal Lock s);

  • The current of the waterway must be mild enough to allow vessels to make headway.


Vessels using waterways vary from small animal-drawn Barge s to immense ocean Tanker s and Ocean Liner s, such as Cruise Ship s.

At one time, canals were built mostly for small wooden barges drawn by Horse s or other draft animals. Today, major canals are built to allow passage of large ocean-going vessels. ''See'' Ship Canal .


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