Opening of Saimaa Canal postponed repeatedly - latest hopes are for today

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Finland's Ministry of Transport failed to receive any confirmation of the opening of the Saimaa Canal from the Russian Ministry of Transport in Moscow on Wednesday. The canal was due to be opened already last week.
      According to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications Juhani Korpela, who is the Finnish official in charge of the canal, various avenues have been explored in order to influence Russian authorities in the matter. However, no information about the negotiations between the Russian Federation's Ministry of Transport and the border control service has been received.
      Russian border officials are reported to have refused to start border inspections at the Pälli Lock because of inadequate facilities.
      In accordance with the canal agreement between Finland and Russia, all inspections are to be conducted at Juustila. However, already last summer, Russian authorities transferred the check-point to the Pälli Lock, about four kilometres from the new Brusnitshnoye border station.
     
Finnish authorities regard the dispute entirely as an internal conflict between the Russian border officials and their Ministry of Transport. On Tuesday, Finns tried to facilitate negotiations by offering to rent a building near the lock to the Russian personnel. The premises were checked out by Russian authorities on the following day, and today Juhani Korpela is to travel to Moscow in order to discuss the opening of the Canal with Deputy Minister of Transport Sergei Aristov. Another issue on the agenda is to begin negotiations on an extension of the term of lease on the Saimaa Canal. The current rental agreement is valid until 2013.
      Russian authorities have also announced a new kind of charge to be applied to all traffic on the Saimaa waterway.
     
The Saimaa Canal is an important part of the Finnish transport infrastructure, particularly in facilitating the movement of timber and other goods to and from Finland. The canal is also used by passenger vessels and pleasure boats. The delayed opening of the canal is causing considerable losses to shipping companies, among others.
      The Saimaa Canal from Lappeenranta to Vyborg links the Finnish lake basin of Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland, passing through Russian territory to get to the sea.
      The latest reports, from Thursday morning, suggest that the canal will be re-opened to shipping at long last at 3 p.m. this afternoon


Links:
  Finnish Maritime Administration
  Lake Saimaa

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