Waterways

A waterway is any navigable body of water. A shipping route consists of one or several waterways. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. 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 vessels 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 waterfalls and rapids, or have a way around them (such as canal locks,boat lifts,etc);
  * The current of the waterway must be mild enough to allow vessels to make headway.

Timeline
Milestones in Water Transportation
6000 B.C.
Reed boats are made in Egypt.
4500
Sailing ships are made in Mesopotamia.
3500
Oar-powered ships sail Eastern Mediterranean seas.
1200 A.D.
The rudder is invented in China.
1620
The submarine is invented in the Netherlands.
1787
The steamboat is invented in America.
1807
The passenger steamboat is invented in the United States.
1891
The modern submarine is invented in the United States.
1911
The hydroplane is invented in the United States.
1912
The Titanic is built in England.
1955
The hovercraft is built in England.
1973
Clayton Jacobsen introduces the Jet-ski and Kawasaki begins production of the vehicle for public sale.
1994
The “Chunnel” opens, linking France and England with rail service and a tunnel for passenger cars.
2006
To meet increased demand for cruise ships, Freedom of the Seas is introduced and becomes the largest cruise liner ever. It has 18 decks and can carry 4,000 passengers.
2009
delivery of Royal Caribbean’s “Project Genesis,” which will be 43% larger than any other cruise ship, weighing 220,000 tons and carrying 5,400 passengers.