Poland is making efforts to reduce its dependence on Russia for commercial shipping by creating a canal to connect the inland port of Elblung (north) with the Baltic Sea, so that Polish ships can avoid the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, writes EFE, quoted by Agerpres.

The project, which will be completed at the end of this year, was officially opened on September 17, 2022, a symbolic date commemorating the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939.

The main purpose of the new canal, which connects the Vistula Lagoon with the Baltic Sea, is to allow access to the sea from the inland port of Elblung without Polish ships using the canal, built by the Russians very close to Kaliningrad, which crosses a strip of land that separates this bay from the Baltic Sea.

“Great victory of Poland”

President Andrzej Duda called “a great victory for Poland, for its patriots and for all those who understand the word sovereignty” the chance to benefit from the sea route, which “gives Poland the opportunity to govern independently and no longer depend on Russia.” decision”.

Although the idea of ​​creating this canal was first mentioned in the 16th century, this declaration of intent was only formalized at the end of 2016, and it was necessary to wait until 2019 before starting work on the construction of this 1,300-meter canal, the director of Port Elblong, Arkadiusz Zglinski, explained to EFE .

In an email interview, Zglinski added that “the next phase (of the project) will consist of dredging the sediments of the Vistula Lagoon and the river of the same name.”

“Thanks to this new route, the access path to the Baltic Sea is shortened by more than 90 kilometers and will make the port of Elblong independent of the Russian section. The throughput capacity of the port will reach from one million tons per year now to approximately 4 million tons per year,” Zglinski assured.

One of the most difficult aspects of the construction of the canal has been the increase in costs during the work: the budget, which was originally about 200 million euros, has almost doubled, and it is still not clear whether the money will come to the final stage. central government or local administration.

“Environment has never been a priority for Russia”

In addition, there were complaints from environmental groups who questioned the real need for the canal and pointed out that the new route was being built in a protected area that is part of the Natura 2000 network.

Natura 2000 is a European network of protected natural areas that includes a representative sample of wild species and natural habitats of community interest.

At the grand opening of the canal, Duda acknowledged that “we already have other ports capable of receiving large ships,” but added that the importance of the canal is that “it is a symbolic step and we will no longer have to ask for permission to cross countries , whose government attacks and subjugates its neighbors, directly referring to Russia.

On the other hand, Polish Minister of Sea and River Transport Marek Grobarczyk commented on the complaint of the Russian authorities regarding the environmental impact of this canal and assured that “the environment has never been a priority for Russia.”

“We are breaking the last symbolic bonds of dependence”

The Russian invasion of Ukraine forced Warsaw to realize the need to break the chain of dependence on Russia in this area and accelerated the implementation of the plan, which for years was no more than a simple idea, comments EFE.

The Polish government’s fears are not unfounded: between 2006 and 2010, Russia banned the access of Polish ships to the Vistula Lagoon, which led to economic losses for the entire region.

According to the Polish government, the completion and future expansion of this canal will revive the economy of the region and open up new trade opportunities for the port of Elbląg and neighboring cities.

In addition, this channel aims to demonstrate Poland’s desire to become completely independent of any type of supply, communication channel or border where Russia is present or has influence.

As the Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, said at the inauguration of the channel, “today we also renounce our dependence on Russia and Germany. We are breaking the last symbolic bonds of dependence.”

(article photo: © Adam Fleks | Dreamstime.com)