The Bi-Oceanic Corridor to revolutionize South America 

This project can only become useful for large-scale trade if a railway network is being built. Transport on roads is just too expensive, and their capacity too low. They may help locally in remote regions, for example, but cannot really improve the national economy significantly.

South American CaspianReport is the content we need. So undercovered!!

As a Brazilian and proud south American, I that you for reporting on our beloved region, my dude

Another alternative for the Panama Canal is already being built in Mexico, It's called "Corredor Interoceanico Itzmo de Tehuantepec" It'll be completed next year, it will transport shipping containers from the port of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca (Pacific Ocean) to the port of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz (Gulf of Mexico/Atlantic Ocean). It'll take 10hrs to transport the shipping containers from one ocean to the other compared to 2-3 days that usually takes through the Panama Canal...

A comparison to the Panama Canal is not apt since the Corridor isn't intended to be used in the same way. The Panama Canal is a transit point for global shipping that vastly reduces shipping times. The Bi-Oceanic Corridor is a way for the interior of South America to get its products to the global market, Asia in particular. It wouldn't make sense to use the Corridor in the same way as the Panama Canal, as docking the ship at a port in Chile, offloading the cargo onto trains and trucks to send 2250km to a Brazilian port, just to load it back on a ship and continue its journey would be costly and more time consuming than just going through the Canal or around the Horn. It's an apples and oranges comparison to compare a canal to a transnational highway/rail/seaport network. Other than that, I agree with the analysis, though I'd appreciate greater effort in getting the names right on maps. I can understand non-native pronunciation won't be perfect, and that's fine, but there's little excuse to have so many mistakes on the map.

Shirvan, your efforts to pronounce our geographical names are delightful and engaging. Kudos! The content is very welcome and, as always, thoroughly researched. I congratulate you with Brazilian warmth and hope for more videos on the region.

From 1910 to 1984, the trans-Andean train ran across the Andes mountains and moved passengers and cargo between the Pacific coast from Valparaiso, Chile to the Atlantic coast in Buenos Aires, Argentina and vice versa.

Interesting, great information. About the ports, this is an important fact: the Santos is not the only port in the Atlantic, there are several others that are very important in the region, such as Paranagua, Itajai, Rio Grande, all in Brazil. You also can consider the ports of Montevideo (Uruguay) and Buenos Aires (Argentina) - there are others, modern ports in construction too, mostly in Brazil's Southern region.

"It's difficult to argue against a highway once it has already been built" Urbanist youtubers: hold my beer

My experience in South America is that they can get infrastructure built, but the funds to maintain such things seems to disappear due to corruption. These countries used to have great rail networks. Their political systems allow for a lot of corruption and a lot of influence by a small wealthy upper class and mega corporations. These countries have a pot of potential but corruption, lack of rule of law, and political instability is preventing their development.

Great video! As expected, the corridor is primed to be one of the largest infrastructure projects of the century, and as such, contract offers have already started pouring in. After all, the corridor bears similarity to the Interoceanic Highway, which has recently made headlines for the deforestation of 680,000 acres of Amazonian rainforest in its path.

Here in Brazil we are very proud of our agrobusiness. Afterall one can be without a new TV or a new car but can´t be without food.

2 corrections: the corridor won't pass nowhere near the Amazon as stated in the video, the two biomes crossed by it in Brazil are the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah). Also, Brazil doesn't have provinces, so it's Mato Grosso do Sul STATE.

Key error: the Amazon rainforest is about 1000km away from this route. The route would not go through an inch of Amazon rainforest. In Brazil it would go through Cerrado and Pantanal biomes.

Excellent analysis ! This is why I subscribe: You have given insights into areas which we (in the US) don't often get. Thanks.

Intro really hit this time! Not hearing about this anywhere else either so thank you! Hope you and your friends and family are safe btw!!

Finally some Latin America content! We were eager to hear ourselves from your perspective, Shirvan

Very interesting video. Please cover more South American geopolitics!

Thank you for posting.

Thank you for your knowledgeable representation of the topic and genuine cadidness concerning the political ramifications associated with the necessary diplomacy involved. God bless to you and yours and always Peace be with you.

The economics of transporting goods is simple. From lowest cost to highest cost you have ship/water --> rail --> truck --> airplane. This proposal is good if there is enough local east-west trade within South America. It would be better (cheaper) if this proposal was railroad. This proposal can't compete with the Panama Canal ship/water transport.

There is no bi-oceanic corridor, nor can there ever be one, for simple reason of cost of different transportation means. 90-95% of world trade is by sea, and there is very good reason for this. Trucks cost about 10 cents/km, train 5, barge 2 and ship 0,5. All in American currency. So there is no possibility whatsoever of using this thing to shift cargo from one ocean to the other. A simple example: if you want to move cargo from Sao Paulo to Lima by sea you roughly have 10,000 km via Cape Horn. That will cost you 50 $/ton. Should you wish to rail it via Asuncion, Salta to Antofagasta by rail (the less expensive option) that will be 2,500km or 125 $/ton, and from said Pacific port you are still 1,500 km away from Lima. Then there is possibility to shift cargo originating along this route to one ocean or the other. Numbers are not quite so drastic, but the conclusion is always the same. These are: 1) soya, cotton, rice and corn from Paraguay. It will never ever go via the Pacific. A small portion end up being loaded at Paranagua, but the bulk goes by barges via the Parana river. 2) Mato Grosso. mainly soya, corn, sugar, iron ore. Same case with bordering state of Rondonia. Goes by barge via the Madeira river, an affluent of the mighty Amazon. 3) Eastern Bolivia. soya, mineral ore. By barge via the Paraguay river, an affluent of the Parana. The bi-oceanic corridor as presented is just a piper's dream presented by sleazy politicians with vested interests and/or people utterly ignorant of transportation costs. This does not mean that it is completely devoid of any merits. With any luck it will serve as a limited means of connection between adjacent regions, and no more than that. There are half a dozen alternate schemes, some including Bolivia and/or Peru, 3 others via central Argentina. All ignore a basic fact of physics. Crossing the huge Andes mountain range does not come cheap: it inevitably involves getting to impossible heights (4,000 meters in this example, 3,000 meters in Argentina). Raising a zillion tons that high is mightily expensive, wasteful and unnecessary in terms of energy, and diesel trucks, just like people at high altitudes become less efficient for relative lack of oxygen. Boring tunnels for trains is of little remedy: a 50 km tunnel will cost some 20 billion at the very least. This is being done in the Alps, but there are a few minor differences: the Alps pale in comparison to the Andes, they are mostly a third the height. Secondly they have big populations nearby, mostly lacking in this example, the result being that volumes of cargo and/or passengers that could justify the investment are in this case absent. Thirdly, all these are poor countries, with limited capital resources. Furthermore they pay substantially higher interest rates for loans for such a project. This is sadly an exercise in futility.

Always loved your content and now with South America in it it's even better! We know you understand a lot more about Eurasia but it would be great to see more SA stuff!

Great vlog - Thank you.

Same goes for the Via Carpathia transcontinental freeway in Europe, linking Baltic Countries' ports with Greece (and everyone else along the way). It's almost finished.

Shame they didn't start with the rail line rather than the highway. That would have encouraged a more sensible development pattern around the new infrastructure and reduced the environmental impact, and it'd be more efficient to boot. I'm sure the rail line is much more expensive to build since it can't snake through mountain passes, but if this project is expected to yield Brazil alone an additional 500 million bucks a year...

At Panama there are also Port Terminals. Ships can offload, and the containers go to the other side via rail, and again onloaded to another ship.

glad to see a creator who takes time to learn the correct pronunciation of names in other langugages! :)

6:02 the amazon is not even close from this route. Mato grosso do sul comprises of flat flood plain in the west, where ir borders Paraguay and turns into Cerrado (Brazilian savana) as it goes north. As it approaches the east coast, it goes up to the Brazilian highlands and meets the Atlantic forest. Brazil is not only the Amazon...

The parallel railway makes a lot more sense

Good video man, greetings from Paraguay

"It is only when one strays too far from the pole, that one feels the tug of the leash". This is a very good phrase, and it depicts well the current geopolitical situation in South America, with their desire to join the BRICS while being very dependent on western economies. These countries are in a unique position where they can benefit from both sides if they play their hand well.

As a Brazilian I congratulate you on the clear effort to pronounce the words correctly in Portuguese. That shows not only attention to detail but also respect for the region you’re covering. Great content!

I wasn’t expecting “берегись контактного провода” sign in Paraguay queries, lol. That’s beware of contact wire in Russian. Stock videos deliver some spice to the narration. And thank you Shirvan for choosing South America for the video.

Thanks for this video CR and Shirvan.

Man I hitchhiked that route twice it’s awesome I recommend others to visit

Great video. Just a small correction: the bio-oceanic corridor does not go thru the Amazon rainforest, since in Brazil the corridor only goes thru the Cerrado (steppes) and Mata Atlântica (tropical forest) regions. Amazon rainforest is way north of the corridor. And Mato Grosso do Sul is actually is a State, not a province, since only Argentina have provinces. Hope it helps

5:44 the best choice for south America, since in Bolivia the inhabitants have the bad habit to block the roads for everything almost every month, sometimes they block the roads for weeks

Excited for the corridor to open!

Good content and explanations! Thank you!

I have to say I think this is a rather secondary project. I think in the medium and long run what matters a lot more is the "calha norte" project, through which Brazil is attempting and managing to develop logisticsl links connecting the center of the country to the north and northeast instead of only the south and southeast. That provides cheaper transportstion alternatives to many food growing regions, including rail and river transportations through the amazon river system. It also makes new agricultural regions in Tocantins, Acre, north Mato Grosso and the Matopiba region viable.

I really admire the way that you speak Brazilian Portuguese, specially "Brasil" with our accent, it shows your effort. Thanks for the video!

As a Brazilian, it seems that the Pan-American Highway from Buenos Aires to Valparaíso would already fulfill this need quite well, except maybe for diversification and resilience, which is also important. But why not, South America still needs a ton of basic infrastructure. It would be better if it were a rail corridor though.

Finally a good piece of modern infrastructure going all the way across South America. Been needed for a long time. 👍🏻

There is already a corridor, going through Perú and Brazil called the "interoceanica". It hasn't helped the local economies nor changed international trade routes. Shipping is much more efficient, specially in soutj American countries where not all thr road network is connected because of decades of centralization.

While some names where wrong, both on the map, the spelling, and in the pronunciation, this was a really cool video! Like the new style, the music, editing, ... It's always exciting and challenging to explore new regions, I hope you'll come back to South America again!

Great mini-documentary!

This was an excellent video. Seems like you hit all the pros and cons.

Interesting coverage of a generally overlooked region of the world! The music's also unusually good this video.

When I lived in Brazil for three years I was shocked to find out that they had so little railway lines !

Very interesting. Thank you. (from Canada)

Excellent and Outstanding Analysis!!!!

6:00 That is nowhere near the Amazon, most of that route's biome is a savannah.

*"In every chaos, there is an opportunity."* *USA🇺🇸 got this, during the two World Wars.*

The intro on this video was fire

Thank you.

"it is only when one strays too far from the pole that they feel the tug of the leash" A chilling saying that applies to so many things in life its scary...

Shrivan, I must say you are one of the few youtubers that get South American dynamics right. Kudos!!

Interesting video. Thanks

As a US citizen I’m am so happy for South American development. I pray for the day that all American Countries are considered first world.

The detailed explanation of CaspianReport on geopolitics is just next-level

Another great report!

Thanks for bringing this project to more prominence

It will help the towns/cities directly connected, it may also help as providing some relief for when the canals are backed up, but it’s far from a replacement. Especially without a rail line

Theres are other routes being used. Everyday many Brazilian trucks travel through South Cone between Pacific and Atlantic. I have driven from São Paulo to Santiago, then North to Antofagasta and Calama, after that I crossed back the Andes to reach Salta and from Salta back to Sao Paulo.

Wow, as a Canadian watching this, I am shocked that it didn't happen earlier! The birth of our country was cenetered around an east west rail line. Same with USA, Costa Rica, Panama has the canal and I am sure Mexico, Nicuragua and possibly Colombia. It seems like a good project to me. Roads are good regionally but to really export and import economically, rail is necessary. But hey why not manufacture batteries and battery powered things there if all the minerals are there, you will certainly make more profit for your people if you sell finished goods rather than raw materials. We need to do that more here in Canada too. Make more finished products

I really liked the earlier theme music. Felt much more powerful. Thanks for the vid

I am from Brazil (southern region of Brazil) ...in 1864 happened War of the Triple Alliance (Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay joined forces against to prevent Paraguay from to get way the sea through the River de la Plata) Paraguay was devastated and still is today depends on the ports of other countries to dispose of its products (not to mention that 90% of the male population was annihilated)...with Bolivia something similar happened in the so-called "War of the Pacific" in 1879 where Chile stole the sea outlet from the Bolivia and to this day Bolivia claims in international courts its lost territory of Antofagasta and its exit to the sea...the sea has always been a strategic issue!!

sick opening music!

A correction regarding the map that appears at 5:36, the final city of this railway line is just "Santos" and not "Puerto Santos", this error probably occurred due to the fact that the city of Santos has the largest seaport from Latin America, and in Spanish this would translate to "Puerto Santos", besides here in Brazil we speak Portuguese and not Spanish. In fact I have lived in this city since I was born and it is where the famous player Neymar started his career.

We should build a canal In the US between the US and Mexico. For one thing the revenue a canal would make would be a way to recoup the cost of construction over time, like most US tollways. Also the jobs in construction and truck drivers to move the dirt of a long term construction project would be beneficial. The Canal would have to be deep enough and wide enough to alone the flow of traffic in both directions and allow ships to pass each other if a disabled ship was in the way. This would likely pose a large obstacle to illegal traffic over the border. It would also provide water to New Mexico and Arizona to be desalinated and use for human consumption as well as agriculture. A road to use during constuction could be made a permanent public road and we could build many Coast Guard stations and Border Patrol stations. Mexico would be able to build their own destalinization plants to get water to arid areas at the border as well.

Very interesting information.

Been watching your channel for years, happy to finally see Chile featuring in it!

after almost a decade watching caspian report I never imagined Shirvan mentioning my hometown once, Campo Grande send its regards to all edit: he even talked about Mato Grosso do Sul (for my surprise) with an unmatched accuracy about our agricultural sector, my man just spitted facts abou the geo-economics of Mato Grosso do Sul

For this part of the world....this knowledge is greatly appreciated.

I'm a subscriber, and I have been for a couple of years. But then RU-vid stopped showing me new videos somewhat sneakily I feel like, till I forgot about this channel. And then about a year ago I came across a channel called Good Times and Bad Times and liked it very much and subscribed right away, I had always wondered why it seemed to me like the voice and accent of the guy in the videos sounded familiar😂

Shirvan has been raving and made a new intro to commemorate that rave.

Thanks goodness, you mentioned the Alienation of the US in emerging countries. When they lose interest in developing relationships with their own backyard, don't blame others like China to move in to fill the gap. This continent is filled with rich possibilities.

The Lordship package from Establishes Titles was the perfect last minute gift for my father birthday. Great recommendation, much appreciated !

The production of these videos is actually insane

Thanks to Established Titles for sponsoring this video! Get 10% off on any purchase with code CASPIAN10. Go to EstablishedTitles.com/CASPIAN10 and help support the channel!

Can you do the corridor of istmus of tehuatepec in Mexico since it’s gonna bring economic development to Southern Mexico

Thank you for such a terrific analysis…(and such beautiful spoken English) :)

Very interesting!!!

This seems like more of an export corridor rather than a transshipment route. The cost and time of moving containers across 2,250km of lands and high mountains by truck or rail cannot economically compete with leaving those containers on ships to sail around the continent. Political entities can entice with plans and tax dollars, but markets will do as markets choose and they choose efficient use of resources, especially the finite ones.

Small detail. The corridor goes right through Argentina's vast lithium reserves. If the government plays their cards right, further development of the Jujuy and Salta provinces could mean a direct route to cheaply export the extracted resources straight from the tap, not to mention the significant economic benefits of potentially industralising the area.

Great work shirvan

Awesome ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

I can see why South Americans would like this, and why some people might want to avoid the Panama Canal, but I can't see how this could be faster or cheaper than the Panama Canal, unless the Panama Canal is just so full that another path is needed to increase volume because no more volume will easily fit through it.

great video, as always, even though we had to wait for a long while since the last one... about the nomenclature I just want to make a small observation: in Brazil we have states (not provinces).

The frito banditos are gonna love it.

Good stuff.

I’m sure this will be a big deal for the locals, I don’t think this highway will affect global trade much though.

He said Mato Grosso do Sul's 10% GDP (8:13) equals to 500 million USD and that's *completely wrong* Mato Grosso do Sul's GDP is around 20 Billion, which means around 2,5%, not 10%

That must be a heck of a drive

Good upload Shrivan. 👍

I believe the salt flats in South America may be uniquely suited for battery manufacturing due to proximity to the mines of important minerals and abundant solar energy availability.

"Not the intelligent design of the Belt and Road but the natural evolution of the global economy." Jeez, that's a pretty interesting (and accurate) metaphor.

I am glad they are doing this and I hope that helps those economies. The problem with South America is not lack of natural resources or Human Resources. They have abundant natural resources and a workforce young, with a very good work ethic, very well educated and on top of of that very nice and easy to work with. The biggest problem they have is corruption. Their governments are some of the most corrupts in the world. I think that except for Chile, and Uruguay corruption is absolutely rampant. Venezuela likely being the worst.

South America don't need nobody for survival!! 👻💯