A
ship canal is a
canal especially intended to accommodate
ships used on the
oceans,
seas or
lakes to which it is connected, as opposed to a barge canal intended to carry
barges and other vessels specifically designed for river and/or canal navigation. Because of the constraints of accommodating vessels capable of navigating large bodies of open water, a ship canal typically offers deeper water and higher bridge clearances that a barge canal of similar vessel length and width constraints.