Also, deep water is a very good shortcut for ships. Using the Egyptians, I rushed some baggalas to the Western Mediterrenean and Atlantic Ocean and connected them to the regions with more ports first so my trading empire was set up more quickly as I got to the better regions first.

edit: Also, deep water is good for support costs. Support cost is a certain number multiplied by the number of turns it takes to get from the closest port to the sea zone with a max of 4. Baggalas have a move rate of 2 so they get 1/2 of 25 for every sea zone they have to move into. Deep water like the Atlantic Ocean means fewer moves for deep water ships which means lower support costs.

[This message has been edited by andrewt (edited 09-11-2002).]