Finland starts repairing the Saimaa canal’s floodgates

Finland starts repairing the Saimaa canal’s floodgates
Publishedо 18 January, 2017

It is planned to start the repair operations of the Saimaa Canal’s floodgates in winter of 2017, therefore navigation on the Canal was stopped on 15 January that is earlier than usual. According to  fontanka.fi, the repair works of the canal structure will be started with the “Mayalkiya” floodgate, and the reconstruction of all 8 floodgates is scheduled to be completed by the opening of navigation season in 2019. The new navigation season will be opened in April of the current year.

The Saimaa Canal is an important inland waterway connecting the water areas of the Russian North harbors with the harbors of the European countries. In 2016 the internal cargo turnover of the Canal amounted to about 1,2 mln tons. Wood, lumber, coal, paper pulp, and fertilizers are the main freights transported on the Saimaa Canal by river and lake crafts.