Freight traffic via the Saimaa Canal grew by 18.7% year-on-year during January-June 2021 making 294.4 thousand tons.
According to the Statistics Finland, 227 vessel transited the Canal during the period under report, up 21.4% year-on-year. 94 of them, or 58.6% of the total vessel traffic, were flying the Russian flag.
The main commodity transported was timber and logs, which grew by 36.1% up to 174.6 thousand tons. Other commodities included construction cargo (down 7.7% to 59.8 thousand tons), and fertilizers (up 32.1% to 25.1 thousand tons).
On June 21, the Russian and Finnish plenipotentiaries for the Saimaa Canal met to discuss large-scale modernization project suggested by Finland.
The project envisages increasing the canal depth by 10 centimeters and expanding the lock length by 11.5 meter to intensify shipping operations.