Fees collected from vessels using the Saimaa Canal will increase by approximately 30 per cent. The fee increase is to be used to cover a third of the costs caused by the leasing of the Saimaa Canal.
The liability to pay the fee mainly concerns cargo and passenger ships using the Saimaa Canal. The amount of the fee is determined on the basis of the size and type of the vessel and craft. The Finnish Transport Agency collects the fees.
Pleasure craft are exempt from paying the fee, as are ships in use by public authorities or in the canal maintenance work. Furthermore, the fee will not be collected from those ships under the Russian flag only using the part of the Saimaa Canal that belongs to Russia.
The government passed a decree on the Saimaa Canal fees on 22 March 2012. The new fees will come into effect on 9 April 2012 when the sailing season in the Canal starts.
The new Saimaa Canal lease agreement came into force on 17 February 2012. According to the agreement, Finland will pay an annual fixed lease payment of EUR 1.22 million, in addition to which Finland will also pay a variable lease payment determined on the basis of the vessels' gross tonnage. The basic fixed payment specified in the new lease agreement is approximately four times larger than the payment in the previous agreement from 1963.
Further information: Ms Silja Ruokola, Director of Unit, tel. +358 9 160 28367 or +358 40 580 0894
