Nord, Canal du

a canal in northern France that connects the Oise River at Noyon with the Sensée River, a tributary of the Schelde, at Arleux. The Canal du Nord measures 95 km long. It was constructed in the early 20th century and reconstructed between 1961 and 1965. It is open to vessels with carrying capacities of 700 tons. It provides cargo transportation for the Nord industrial region and Paris. The chief cargoes are coal, wood, and machinery.