On Saturday, 17 September, the Vistula Spit canal started functioning. On this occasion, several concerts were organised. 

The new infrastructure is a recently finished canal built across the Polish section of the Vistula Spit that will create a second connection between the Vistula Lagoon and the Bay of Gdańsk.

It will allow ships to enter the port of Elbląg and the Vistula Lagoon without having to rely on the Russian Strait of Baltiysk, saving a 100 km journey.

The Nowy Świat ship canal is located between the villages of Skowronki and Przebrno, at the site of an abandoned settlement called Nowy Świat, hence its official name. 

The work on this ambitious project started in February 2019. It is 1300 m long and will allow ships of draft up to 4 meters, length up to 100 m, and beam up to 20 m.

The investment is entirely financed from the state budget. The main investor is the Maritime Office in Gdynia in cooperation and under the supervision of the Ministry of Infrastructure. 

“The aim of the Vistula Spit is to enable the development of the port in Elbląg, and finally to enable Polish ships to sail without having to ask Russia for permission” – Radosław Fogiel, spokesman of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party, told Jedynka. 

The value of the entire program of building a waterway connecting the Vistula Lagoon with the Bay of Gdańsk is PLN 1.9 billion (GBP 350 million).

Image: Twitter (@bwroblewski)

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen