The canal was begun in 1882 by a French company, the Société internationale du canal maritime de Corinthe, and was completed by the Greeks in 1893. This spectacular undertaking permanently altered the shipping routes, and Piraeus took the place of Syros as the major port in Greece. The canal is 6 343m long, 22m wide at water level and 8m deep. The walls rise to 80m at the highest point. But the channel is so narrow that it is not used very frequently.