Saimaa waterway in Finland prompts new security collaboration for logistics challenges

The Saimaa waterway in Finland is undergoing significant changes, particularly with its eastern location prompting fresh security considerations for its future. On Tuesday, a new collaboration will address logistical challenges and associated security issues involving the Saimaa region.

This meeting, the first of its kind, includes representatives from the Finnish Emergency Supply Agency and the ports of Joensuu and Lappeenranta. Janne Korhonen, CEO of Joensuun Satama, notes that previous discussions on supply security primarily focused on maritime ports, making this a critical expansion of focus. Although the Emergency Supply Agency did not provide comments on the meeting specifics, it acknowledged the relevance of Saimaa’s situation.

Jukka Etelävuori, a senior expert at the agency, emphasized that the lack of maritime connections significantly disrupts logistics, noting that while cargo routes from Saimaa are not critical to Finland’s economy, they remain important. The agency has intensified its monitoring of vital port infrastructure.

Logistical issues are being further examined under the “Logistiikan Vuoksi” project initiated in May 2023, led by project manager Marja Eskman, who highlighted the scarcity of sufficient freight ships, shipbuilding capacity, skilled personnel, and funding as core challenges.

With the onset of the war in Ukraine, most vessels remained on the sea, leaving only one major cargo ship, Helga, in the Saimaa area. Furthermore, significant investments into the Joensuu port occurred after the war began, with the region hoping to accommodate larger vessels as plans for canal upgrades proceed amid a complex geopolitical climate.