Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has announced that the government will allocate PLN 200 million for an investment in Januszkowice to ensure stable and safe conditions for navigation along the Oder Waterway. A total of PLN 750 million will be invested in making the Oder River navigable throughout the Opole region.

“The investment in Januszkowice is support for the economy, safety and ecology”, said Prime Minister Morawiecki. “We are helping the economy because water transport is the cheapest and most ecological. We are also helping to protect the environment by reducing transport on Polish roads”, the head of government explained.

According to the Polish government, inland navigation should be an alternative mode of transport, especially in transport corridors with direct access to seaports. This has become all the more important in the current geopolitical situation. At the moment, key investments are being made on inland waterways. “Modernized facilities are successively being put into operation, as well as sections of rivers that have been made unobstructed”, added the Prime Minister’s Office.

The aim of the project ‘Modernisation of the lock and steering gear on the Januszkowice waterway degree, together with the reconstruction of the avant-gates’ is to develop and improve the inland waterway on the Oder. Thanks to the work carried out, the navigability level will be raised from the current Class III to Class Va. This means that the Oder Waterway will gain a section of a route of international importance with the possibility of navigating ships and barges of up to 3,000 tonnes.

The modernisation at Januszkowice is also intended to ensure the safety of vessels crossing the Oder and to protect the inhabitants of the Opole region in the event of flooding.

Adrian Andrzejewski