25 июня 2024 — 16:23
The Finnish and Russian commissioners of the Saimaa Canal have decided to start the shipping season for freight and passenger transport. Passage through the Saimaa Canal to the Baltic Sea is possible from June 24 to December 31, Delovoy Peterburg writes about this, referring to information from the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Finland.
However, the Ministry notes that government decisions and sanctions imposed by the European Union have an impact on the situation. At the moment, the Finnish government has closed the Haapasaari border crossings, the ports of Nuiyamaa and Santio. The Saimaa Canal is an important shipping route between Lake Saimaa in Finland and the Baltic Sea.
An agreement on the lease of a part of the canal passing through the territory of Russia was concluded between Finland and the USSR in 1968. The total length of the canal is 57.3 km, of which 23.3 km belong to Finland and 34 km to Russia.
The annual rent that Finland pays for the use of the Saimaa Canal is 1.2 million euros. The entire canal and the adjacent highway, including a section on the territory of Russia, are financed from the Finnish budget, although the exact amount of expenses has not been disclosed. The Saimaa Canal Lease Agreement is an international agreement approved by the Parliaments of Finland and Russia and is valid until 2060.