An artificial silting island is gradually being built in the Vistula Lagoon, which is intended to fulfil engineering and natural functions. Estyjska Island, as it is called, is an important element of the ongoing investment in the construction of a waterway connecting the port of Elbląg with the Bay of Gdańsk. The new land was designed as a storage place for material excavated during dredging and maintenance works carried out as part of the construction of the navigation channel through the Vistula Spit. NDI Group is responsible for the implementation of the project.
Estyjska Island – technical parameters and construction
Construction of the embankments around the future land was completed in September 2022. The structure has an ellipsoidal shape, an area of approximately 181 hectares and a circumference of nearly 5 kilometres. Its construction is based on two rows of steel walls connected by culverts to ensure the integrity and stability of the banks. Ultimately, around 9 million cubic metres of excavated material is planned to be deposited on the island. Approximately 5.9 million cubic metres will come from the construction of the waterway, while 3.3 million will be the result of future sub-dredging work necessary to maintain adequate depths of the waterway to the port of Elbląg. The process of fully inundating the island could take between 10 and 20 years.
Nature conservation importance and new bird habitats
Despite the fact that the primary purpose of creating the island was to develop the dredged material, the site is also of natural significance. It has been planned as an area closed to people and shipping exclusively for wildlife. Its presence supports the restoration of habitats within the Natura 2000 network, especially those that have disappeared over the past decades and were previously important breeding sites for waterbirds. Both the shoreline and transitional zones of the island already attract numerous species, including mute swan, great crested grebe, crake, platypus, marmot, mallard, teal, bar-tailed godwit, white-fronted goose and bean goose. Among the most numerous species are guillemots, gulls, golden plovers, lapwings, ruffs, dabblers, common pochards, black terns, crakes, loggerheads and cormorants.
Ester Island – criteria for selection of location and name
The location of the artificial island was chosen taking into account environmental and navigational safety analyses. It is located in a site of relatively low environmental value, outside of inventoried spawning grounds and areas of value for fish, and away from major migratory and breeding bird routes. The site had not previously played a significant role in the ecosystem of the Vistula Lagoon, which further supported its selection. The name of the island was selected in a competition announced by the Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation. Out of five proposals: Estyjska, Rukwiel, Wodniczka, Bursztynowa and Brajan Chlebowski, the name Estyjska was chosen in an online vote. It refers to the old name of the Vistula Lagoon, known from the 9th century accounts of the traveller Wulfstan. The Old Prussian term Estmere meant ‘Lagoon of the Estes’, and the element ‘Estes’ refers to the West Baltic tribes later known as the Prussians.
An investment combining economy and ecology
The Estonian Island is becoming a new chapter in the history of the Vistula Lagoon. As part of the shipping infrastructure, it fulfils a key technical task and at the same time brings tangible benefits for local nature. Its importance may increase in the years to come as the newly emerging ecosystem develops and stabilises.
source: NDI GROUP, Maritime Office in Gdynia
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