Under an agreement reached between the Russian and Finnish authorized officers on the Saimaa channel, navigation on the channel opened on May 18.

On the first day of the navigation pilots of the Vyborg and Vysotsk Directorate of the North-Western Basin Branch provided pilotage of seven cargo vessels toward the Saimaa channel.

On the same day, May 18, the Carelia passenger two-master cruise vessel has arrived at the seaport of Vyborg (Russia) on its first voyage from Lappeenranta (Finland) with passengers aboard and moored near Berth No 1 of the seaport.

From 2017 to 2019 the infrastructure facilities of the navigable hydraulics on the Saimaa Canal have been reconstructed under order of the Finnish Transport Agency. Particularly, the reconstruction of four floodgates has been completed. It is related to replacing the tailgate in order to increase the speed of locking and ensure its uninterrupted service in the winter.

The implementation of the events aimed at reconstructing the Saimaa Canal will allow to increase its capacity and extend the navigation period.