VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
The Saimaa Canal is a navigable canal linking lake Saimaa in Finland and the Finnish Gulf. It begins in Vyborg (Russia) and ends in Lappeenranta (Finland) ensuring navigation from inland waters in Eastern Finland to Russia and other European countries.
The canal was built in 1856 when Finland was part of Russia. It was shut down in 1940 because under the Moscow Peace Treaty between the USSR and Finland of March 12, 1940 part of the Canal was on Soviet territory.
On September 27, 1962 a treaty was signed between the USSR and Finland on the lease of part of the Saimaa Canal and Maly Vysotsky Island to the Finnish Republic (called the 1963 Treaty, after the date when instruments of ratification were exchanged). The treaty made it possible for the canal to be renovated and reopened for navigation in 1968.
Because the 1963 Treaty expires in 2013, Russia and Finland have agreed on a new draft Treaty between Russia and Finland on the lease of the Russian part of the Saimaa Canal and adjacent territory to the Finnish Republic and on navigation rights through the Saimaa Canal.
Compliance with the lease treaty is ensured by the representatives for the Saimaa Canal appointed by Russia and Finland. At present the Russian representative is State Secretary-Deputy Transport Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Aristov and the Finnish representative is the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Harri Pursiainen.
The total length of the Saimaa Canal is 57.3 km with a marine fairway, of which 23.3 km is in Finland, 19.6 km in Russian territory leased by Finland and 14.4 km in Russian territory.
The canal is accessible to river, lake and seagoing vessels. Navigation is available around the clock. The duration of the navigation season is determined every year by agreement between the Representatives for the Canal depending on the ice conditions and is on average 275 days (9 months) a year. During a navigation period the canal can handle up to 11,500 vessels in both directions and 4.6 million tons of cargo.
Over the past ten years, the canal has averaged between 2000 and 2500 vessels annually and 2 million tons of cargo, with traffic about equal in both directions. Most of the freight consists of timber and milled timber, paper and pulp, minerals as well as passenger traffic, including small ships.
