UPGRADING OF CANAL Tulkki © naviSaimaa/Petri Photo Saimaa Canal, leading from the Saimaa lake system via to the Gulf of , is Finland’s most important canal. The canal is 43 km in length and has eight locks, three of which are located in Finland and five in Russia. Almost a half of the canal is located in an area leased from Russia.

Border crossing point Road Lengthening of the Saimaa Canal locks Saimaa canal Railway The lower locks of the Saimaa Canal were replaced in 2017–2019. The upper gates of the locks need to be replaced next. As the upper gates are Mälkiä Mustola replaced, the locks also need to be lengthened to allow larger capacity Soskua vessels to pass.

During the project planning phase, a conclusion was made to lengthen the locks by moving the upper gates 11 metres upstream. The construction of the lock structures needs to be completed as dry work Pälli in winter. This requires the construction of temporary dams and the lowe- Rättijärvi - Lietjärvi - Cvetotchnoe ring of the water level between locks. Ilistoe

Särkijärvi - The construction planning, investment card and project evaluation Iskrovka Juustila - stages have already been completed. The actual construction process Brusnitchnoe may take place in 2022–2023. The decision on the project implementation must be made during 2020. In addition, the Finance Committee of the Parliament of Finland considers it important that the lengthening of the Saimaa Canal locks is launched as soon as possible.

Etelä-Karjalan liitto 2019, Pohjakartta © MML

Photo © Arto Hämäläinen Photo © Antti Vehviläinen

regional council of september 2020 Lengthening of the locks is essential The cost estimate for the lengthening of the locks is M€90. This would enable 93-metre vessels to navigate Lake Sai- Many of the cargo ships navigating Lake Saimaa maa. At the moment, the maximum length is 82.5 metres. nowadays were built towards the end of the 1980s. They The longer ships are able to take up to 3,200 tonnes of car- will go out of use in the next few years. Cargo and cruise go at a time, whilst the present ships can only take 2,500 ship owners are unwilling to order Saimax-class vessels of tonnes. This will improve the competitiveness of water the present size, but are waiting for the decision to leng- transport, which is expected by the local industry. then the canal locks. If the locks are not lengthened, the ship-owners will have to leave Lake Saimaa as the vessels In addition to cargo vessels, the decision would also bring become outdated. This would mean that the present cargo new passenger ships to Lake Saimaa. New generation tonnage would be transported by road, and this would inc- cruise ships are also being planned. They would enable rease both carbon dioxide emissions and expenses, as well the development of interesting cruise products for both as the wear and tear of the road infrastructure. domestic and foreign tourists. For example, cruises from Helsinki and St. Petersburg to Lake Saimaa, even up to The IMO Decree on obligatory ballast water invasive species Kuopio and , and vice versa. filters will take effect on all seas of the world in 2024. This is an expensive investment, and close to impossible to imple- The lengthening of the locks supports the strategies ment on old Saimax vessels. Therefore, the tonnage will aiming to lower carbon dioxide emissions in the Lake have to be modernised. The ship-owners and industry need Saimaa regions and the entire Finland. The new cargo and to know when the lengthening of the locks will be complet- passenger ships can run on electricity or other renewable ed in order to start the new investments. energy sources. This would help lower emissions.

Photo © naviSaimaa/Petri Tulkki

SUMMARY • South Karelia and other regions in the Lake Saimaa area propose that the lengthening of the locks and raising of the water level of the Saimaa Canal should be carried out without delay. At the same time, the use of geothermal heat to extend the shipping season of the canal should be investigated. • Extending the vessel length by 11 metres will increase vessel cargo capacity by 25 % and increase the number of Lake Saimaa fitted ice class vessels, already operating in the Baltic Sea. • Raising the water surface of the Saimaa Canal by 10 cm enables 100 tonnes of additional cargo. • The cost estimate of the projects (locks and water level) is 95 million euro.

Further information: Kaisa Hirvonen, Project Designer, tel. +358 40 687 2618; Sonja Tynkkynen, Traffic and Transport Expert,tel. +358 40 681 7163

REGIONAL COUNCIL OF SOUTH KARELIA Kauppakatu 40 D, 53100 FINLAND ekarjala.fi/liitto/

[email protected]

regional council of south karelia september 2020