Saimaa Canal opens on 22 March

The Saimaa Canal will open for cargo transport on 22 March at 06:00 hours, said an official press release on Tuesday.

The icebreakers Calypso, Protector, and Meteor will open the deep-water routes on the Saimaa and will assist transports to the extent possible under the limits set for assistance.

The Calypso has Saimaa, the world’s first removable motorised bow that breaks ice.

“We will start to open the canal and the deep-water routes with three icebreakers, as the thickness of the ice is nearly half a metre in some places. The conditions differ sharply from what they were last year, when there was hardly any ice at all,” said Ilari Rainio, a maritime specialist at the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.

The first cargo ships are expected to arrive in the Saimaa Canal as soon as the canal is opened for transport.

Those walking on the ice should avoid all areas near the opened deep-water routes as of 22 March, urged the authorities, adding that those with holiday homes should note that it will not be possible to cross the deep-water routes once they have been opened.

The vessel movement through the canal remained suspended from early February as the Saimaa Canal traffic season ended.