Poland opens new waterway to circumvent Russia

Ships sailing from the Baltic Sea to Vistula Lagoon ports will not need to obtain permissions from Russia to enter Russian waters thanks to a new canal.

PHOTO: Ships at the newly inaugurated canal in Poland. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki via Twitter @MorawieckiM

The 1,300-metre canal connects the Baltic Sea with the Vistula Lagoon by cutting across the Vistula Spit. The route to the Polish port of Elblag is also shortened by around 100 kilometres.

Ships will be able to sail from the Baltic Sea and the Bay of Gdansk to Elblag, and smaller ports in the lagoon, while bypassing the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

The passage will only be able to carry larger cargo vessels after the waterway to Elblag has been deepened to five metres.

By Konica Bhatt

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