Navigation on the urban section of the Oder River suspended. Sails 2025 is approaching.

Due to the outdoor event Sails 2025, inland navigation on the section of the Western Oder from the Castle Route to the Port Authority in Szczecin will be suspended from 7 a.m. on Thursday to 10 a.m. on Monday.

The organizers of the Żagle 2025 festival (15-17 August), the largest outdoor event organized this year in Szczecin, announced the introduction of a "special organization of traffic on the water".

"According to a statement from the Port Authority, from August 14 (7:00 AM) to August 18 (10:00 AM), navigation on the Western Oder, from the Port Authority quay to the Castle Route and to the Duńczyk River, will be suspended for inland waterway vessels. This restriction does not apply to passenger vessels or sports and recreational vessels, which can operate during designated hours," said Celina Wołosz, spokeswoman for the municipal company Żegluga Szczecińska Turystyka Wydarzenia.

Sails is an annual summer event. A parade of tall ships and other vessels takes place on the Oder River. Concerts and shows on the Chrobry Embankment and on Łasztownia Island attract tens of thousands of people.

It will also be very crowded on the water. Navigation restrictions are being introduced for safety reasons," she emphasized in an interview with PAP from Wołosze.

She explained that 31 vessels have registered for Sails 2025, from Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Latvia. These are primarily B-class sailing vessels, approximately 40 meters long. Dozens of yachts and boats are also arriving for the event. The marina on Duńczyk Island, between Łasztownia and Grodzka Island, Wołosz said, "is fully booked." Owners of private yachts can look for available spaces in nearby marinas on Lake Dąbie or Gocław, Wołosz advised.

She noted that a pontoon bridge is being built on the Oder River between the Long Bridge and the Castle Route, which will prevent traffic from flowing south toward Dziewoklicz. Since Tuesday, soldiers from the 5th Engineering Regiment in Szczecin have been installing the 90-meter-long structure.

A spokeswoman for Żegluga Szczecińska announced that for the safety of those using the fairway, yellow buoys will be placed in the middle of the Western Oder. "We avoid them on the port side," Wołosz reminded. Due to crowds at the quays, the organizers of the Żagle festival have set up a "kiss and sail" point, similar to the "kiss and ride" for cars. Mooring will be possible at the marina on Grodzka Island to drop off or pick up passengers.

On Wednesday afternoon, the 38-meter tall ship "Anny von Hamburg," flying the Finnish flag, docked at the foot of the Chrobry Embankment. More than a dozen vessels are scheduled to arrive on Thursday, including (around 11 a.m.) HMS Gladan, a two-masted schooner of the Royal Swedish Navy, a training vessel for sailors and officers.

Sails 2025 will feature beautiful classic cars, modern yachts, and specialized firefighting vessels and tugboats. Highlights include the multi-purpose vessel of the Maritime Office in Szczecin, the SV Planeta I, and the research and training vessel of the Maritime University of Technology in Szczecin, the M/S Nawigator XXI.

A detailed program of the event can be found at: https://zagleszczecin.eu/

On Saturday and Sunday, ten vessels will invite Szczecin residents and tourists on two-hour sightseeing cruises. "We've organized a thousand tickets; around 700 have already been sold online, and another 300 will be available on Friday," Wołosz concluded.

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