Poland has opened a new canal to allow ships to reach its Baltic ports without passing through Russian territorial waters. Belgian contractor Besix and Poland's NDI Group began digging the 1.3km canal in 2019.

The Vistula Canal cuts through a narrow, 70-kilometer-long sand barrier called the Vistula Spit, which almost completely separates the Vistula Lagoon from the open Baltic Gulf of Gdansk. Before the canal, ships heading for the port of El Prague in the southwestern part of the lagoon had to travel about 50 kilometers northeast along the spit to reach its only opening, the Baltic Strait in Kaliningrad. The canal cuts off the 100-kilometre bypass, allowing shippers to avoid paying Russia to use the strait.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said at the opening ceremony that the launch of this investment is a great victory for Poland, for patriots, and for those who understand the word sovereignty. The cost of the work was initially estimated at 190 million euros, but ended up costing nearly 2 billion PLN, or 420 million euros. Given the relatively small width and depth of the canal, some commentators questioned the cost. It will accommodate vessels with a draft of up to 4.5m, a length of 100m and a width of 20m. According to Besix, barges up to 180 meters long can also travel on the canal.

But President Duda dismissed those concerns. The question is not whether the biggest ships will be able to pass through; we have other ports for this, the point is that symbolically the road should be open so we don't have to ask for permission from countries that are not friendly to us. Keywords: engineering news, overseas news

In addition to excavating and constructing the waterway, Besix and NDI also constructed two breakwaters 1014m and 568m long, two revolving steel bridges, a new road system and buildings. They also built a 180-hectare artificial island using dirt dug along the canal to serve as a sanctuary for birds. To reinforce the breakwater, the contractor used interlocking Xbloc Plus blocks designed to encourage marine life. Besix says their use is a first in Poland.Editor/XingWentao