Poland opened a channel this Saturday through which ships can reach the port of Elblag from the Baltic Sea without passing through Russian territorial waters.
Until now, to reach the high seas, boats leaving Elblag had to cross a peninsula belonging partly to Poland and partly to Russia, forcing Warsaw to ask Moscow for permission to pass.
“It was a matter of opening this path so that we don’t have to ask permission from a country that is not a friend,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said at the canal’s opening ceremony, recalling the context of Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine. .
Poland, a member of the European Union and NATO, wholeheartedly supports Kiev.
The waterway opened by this canal is for the time being only accessible to small vessels and, when completed, should provide access to Elblag for boats up to 100 meters long and 20 meters wide, according to the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure.
The dredging and development of various transport infrastructures should be completed by September 2023 and the total cost of the project is estimated at approximately 2 billion zloty (420 million euros).
The inauguration marked 83 years since the Soviet invasion of Poland during World War II and symbolically marks the end of Moscow’s word on the economy and development of a region bordering the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
A few thousand people with white and red flags, the national colors, gathered in the rain to watch the tech ship Zodiac II pass through the gates and open the canal.
The project has sparked controversy between supporters of the new Baltic Sea access route and environmentalists who have discussed risks to fauna and flora that could be affected by the evolution of the salinity of the delta’s waters.
The government says this waterway gives Poland full sovereignty in the northeastern region, which needs investment and economic development.
Source: DN
