(Bloomberg) –Poland opened a canal linking the Baltic Sea with a lagoon whose only previous entrance went through Russian territorial waters.
The canal will eventually give seafaring vessels easier access to the city of Elblag but only once the lagoon is deepened and its port facilities enhanced. Critics have said the over-budget, 2.2 billion zloty ($467 million) project isn’t viable and is risky for the environment.
“Today, we are proving once again that Poland is a serious country,” ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said during an opening ceremony, which was broadcast live on the country’s main public television channel. “No one is able to stop us in such initiatives, we finish what we started.”
Polish President Andrzej Duda delivers his speech at the opening ceremony of the shipping canal through the Vistula Spit in Skowronki, Poland, 17 September 2022. Micha? Ryniak/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS Members of the Special Forces of Military Police attend the opening ceremony of the shipping canal through the Vistula Spit in Skowronki, Poland, 17 September 2022. Micha? Ryniak/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERSA general view of the new shipping canal through the Vistula Spit in Skowronki, Poland, 17 September 2022. Micha? Ryniak/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS
Saturday’s opening was timed to coincide with the 83rd anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Poland in the early days of World War II. The canal will allow ships to sail in out of the Vistula Lagoon, east of Gdansk, without obtaining authorization from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave wedged between Poland and Lithuania.
The LNG carrier Merkuriy, recently reflagged to Russia alongside three other tankers, has been observed loading liquefied natural gas at the Saam floating storage unit (FSU), satellite imagery and automatic identification system (AIS) data show. The vessels are serving the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project.
Four recently reflagged liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers linked to new Turkish-controlled entities are heading north in the Atlantic, in what analysts say could mark a new push in Russia’s effort to expand its constrained export fleet.
A Russian-flagged supertanker passed through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf, marking a rare passage for one of the nation’s ships as traders scrutinize every transit through the war-hit waterway.
April 10, 2026
Total Views: 1407
Get The Industry’s Go-To News
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
— just like 106,105 professionals
Secure Your Spot
on the gCaptain Crew
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
— trusted by our 106,105 members
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Join The Club
