Saimaa Canal
The most important of Finland’s canals, the Saimaa Canal is 43 kilometres long and connects Saimaa to the Gulf of Finland. Nearly half of the Saimaa Canal runs through a land area leased from Russia. The canal’s eight locks are controlled from the remote control centres at Mälkiä and Brusnitchnoe.
Saimaa Canal boat traffic instructions
Detailed instructions for transit through the Saimaa Canal can be found in the boat traffic instructions.
Saimaa Canal guide for leisure boats 2019 (pdf)
Leisure crafts will not be charged a permit fee for traveling through Saimaa Canal.
According to information provided by the Russian Security Service, the border control for the City of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, border inspections will no longer be carried out on leisure crafts at the second pier of Vyborg’s sea port. For the time being, the border inspections for leisure crafts that stop by in Russia will be carried out in either Fort Konstantin (Kronstadt) or Pälli Lock (Saimaa Canal).
Required forms for boating in the Saimaa Canal
We have compiled the necessary forms for boating in the Saimaa Canal into convenient packages.
First, select the forms according to the purpose of your trip, and then complete all the forms in the package.
There are two different packages of forms available:
1) Forms, Transit through Saimaa Canal (zip)
2) Forms, Visits to Russian ports (zip).This form package also contains the forms needed for transit through Saimaa Canal.
Please also remember to read the instructions for transit through Saimaa Canal.
Contact information for the canal
Tel. + 358 295 34 4157, + 358 295 34 4158, Mälkiä remote control centre
Tel. + 358 295 34 4159 Brusnitšnoje Lock (Juustila)
Saimaa Canal and deep-water channels have an extended traffic season (9-10 months). Canals are open 24/7 during the traffic season.
Video of Saimaa Canal