Vistula Spit canal

Vistula Spit Canal Polish: Kanał przez Mierzeję Wiślaną
Aerial view of the Vistula Spit canal
Specifications
Length	1.536 km (0.954 miles)
Locks	1
Status	Open
History
Construction began	4 October 2019
Date completed	17 September 2022
Geography
Start point	Nowy Świat seaport, Bay of Gdańsk
End point	Nowy Świat seaport, Vistula Lagoon

The Vistula Spit canal (Polish: Kanał przez Mierzeję Wiślaną), officially known as the Nowy Świat ship canal (Polish: Kanał żeglugowy Nowy Świat),^[1] is a canal across the Polish section of the Vistula Spit that creates a second connection between the Vistula Lagoon and Gulf of Gdańsk. It allows ships to enter the Vistula Lagoon and the port of Elbląg without having to rely on the Russian Strait of Baltiysk, saving a 100-kilometre (62 mi) journey and avoiding Russian waters. Its construction started in February 2019. It is 1,536 m (5,039 ft) in length and allows ships of draft up to 4 m (13 ft), length up to 100 m (330 ft), and beam up to 20 m (66 ft) to pass through.^[2]

The canal was officially inaugurated on 17 September 2022. Further works will continue.^[3][4][5] It is part of the project to construct a waterway connecting Bay of Gdańsk with the port of Elbląg with a total length of 22.88 km.^[6]

The canal is located between the villages of Skowronki and Przebrno, at the site of an abandoned settlement called Nowy Świat, hence its official name.