The first ships will be able to sail through the Vistula Spit canal by the end of this year, Poland’s Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Marek Gróbarczyk revealed on Tuesday.
“Everything indicates that at the end of this year the first ships will pass through the channel on the Vistula Spit,” Gróbarczyk told Polish Radio 24, but revealed he was reluctant to give a precise date due to still needing to complete the difficult stage of activating waterproof gates.
“This is the first such investment in Poland and there will probably be some difficulties before everything works as intended. Yet, everything points to the first ships sailing through the Spit by the end of the year,” he explained to the news outlet.
The canal’s opening will give a huge development opportunity for towns located in the region, such as Elbląg or Frombork.
“This whole area of operation will have an impact on activating Eastern Poland – regions, which previously did not have a chance to development, not to even mention developing the port in Elbląg which was ‘mortified.’ It was said that it was the most expensive parking in the world because cars were parked on the quay,” the deputy minister for infrastructure said.
Gróbarczyk explained that the Vistula Spit canal will be an opportunity for not only industrial development for towns like Elbląg, but also for the development of tourism, adding that along with the canal’s construction, the waterway running through the Vistula Lagoon and Elbląg River will also have to be deepened.
The port in Elbląg will have to be modernized and new bridges are planned to be constructed.
The entire length of the new sailing route from the Gulf of Gdańsk through the Vistula Spit to Elbląg will be 23 kilometers long and along a 2.5-kilometer section will contain a a floodgate, external harbor and rest stops. The canal and the entire fairway will have a depth of five meters.
