Construction of a very short canal in Oman on the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz could help to solve current issues with shipping
since the US invasion of Iran, according to economist Pablo Rodas-Martini.
Writing on LinkedIn, the former chief economist and opinion writer, with an interest in maritime matters, says he came upon it while looking at a map of Oman’s Musandam province.
“It is a secret, hidden in plain sight. It is so relevant, given the current drama at the Strait of Hormuz, yet no media outlet has mentioned it at all,” Rodas-Martini writes.
“I stumbled upon it while examining the map of Oman's Musandam Province on Google Maps. The province is located on the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz, facing Iran's Hormozgan Province to the north,” he writes.
“Zooming in on Google Maps, I noticed that a very short canal could potentially be constructed in this area, given the numerous inlets.
This part of Oman is often referred to as the 'Norway of Arabia' because of its fjord-like coastline, even though these features are not technically fjords.”
Strategic Shortcut — A map of the Strait of Hormuz highlights the Musandam Peninsula in northern Oman, where economist Pablo Rodas-Martini suggests a short canal could offer an alternative route for shipping. Photo: Pablo Rodas-Martini
Hidden Passage — Red markers indicate potential canal alignments across narrow isthmuses in Musandam, areas previously examined by surveyors studying the feasibility of a maritime shortcut. Photo: Pablo Rodas-Martini
“The four segments that I have marked on the map could potentially be used for construction. I didn't use any sophisticated methods to
identify them; I just looked at the width of the 'isthmus'. I then copied and pasted the map into ChatGPT and asked it to estimate the
distance and average altitude. A canal could not be built if the elevation was 500 metres, but it would certainly be possible in a 50-or even 100-metre segment,” he writes.
“ChatGPT provided distances ranging from 2.1 km to 5 km for the four segments. However, it was of no help regarding heights, only stating that some parts of the Musandam province could reach 900–1,200 metres, and that the peninsula's highest point is 2,087 metres,” he writes.
“As nobody has mentioned the possibility of building this canal, but many have mentioned the truly absurd UAE bypass canal mega-project — a 180 km project across the Al-Hajar Mountains linking the Gulf coast near Dubai to Fujairah — I decided to look into the history of Musandam. And there it was!,” he says.
“I found that the British explored the Maqlab–Al Maksar region in the 19th century, and that the Royal Geographical Society's Musandam
Expedition conducted detailed research in 1971–1972 to investigate the feasibility of constructing a canal. However, it never came to
fruition — who would have thought that a canal would have been needed before the Iran War?! “he says.
“What was once considered absurd became a fascinating and relevant issue after the war.”
“When the latter expedition examined the feasibility of cutting through the Maqlab/Al Maksar isthmus, they found that the ridge between the Elphinstone and Malcolm inlets was the best option. British records had already placed the lowest point of that ridge at about 61 metres above sea level, and later published accounts described the isthmus as less than 300 metres wide at its narrowest point,” he says.
Mountain Barrier — Satellite imagery reveals the rugged terrain of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula, where steep limestone ridges and complex geology present major engineering challenges for any canal project. Photo: Pablo Rodas-Martini
He says he was “amazed to read that it was only 300 metres wide! Compare these figures with those of the Panama Canal, which extends about 82 km from deep water to deep water, and the Suez Canal, which is about 193 km long.”
“Of course, distance is only one factor. There are many other factors to consider — tides and geology are two of the most critical,” he says.
“Due to the tides, the expedition in the 1970s found that sea levels could differ by up to one metre, and the challenging hydraulic conditions led the survey team to conclude that locks would be essential for a real canal,” he continues.
“However, the main problem lies in the soil itself, particularly its geology. The Suez Canal is a sea-level canal that was constructed by excavating sand and clay from low-lying terrain in the 19th century. The Panama Canal presented a greater challenge — the French attempts failed for this reason — as it involved cutting through volcanic soil and rock at greater elevations, creating the artificial Lake Gatun in the process. This sits around 26 metres above sea level,” he says.
“The geology of Musandam is completely different: it is a carbonate mountain massif dominated by thick layers of hard rock, mainly
limestone and dolomite. However, I believe that, with modern technology, unlike that used for the Suez Canal in the 19th century or the Panama Canal in the early 20th century, the work can be done,” he writes.
“Of course, I am also well aware that, even though the shortest distance between the two inlets is supposed to be around 300 metres,
the canal would have to cut a much longer distance, as the inlets would need to be properly deepened to create the necessary traffic lanes,” he says.
Pablo Rodas-Martini holds a PhD and MSc from Queen Mary University of London and is a former chief economist and opinion writer.
Read his full post on LinkedIn here.
