The current flows north from Lake Onega to the White Sea, and all navigation marks are set according to it. The total length of the waterway is 227 km (141 mi), of which 48 km (30 mi) are man-made. The canal was originally proposed to be 5.4 m (17.7 ft) deep however, the cost and time constraints of Stalin's first five-year plan forced the much shallower draught. This depth typically corresponds to river craft with deadweight cargo up to 600 tonnes, while useful seagoing vessels of 2,000–3,000 dwt typically have drafts of 4.5–6 m (15–20 ft). Its economic advantages are limited by its minimal depth of 3.5 m (11.5 ft), inadequate for most seagoing vessels. As of 2008, it carries only light traffic of between ten and forty boats per day. The canal runs 227 km (141 mi), partially along several canalized rivers and Lake Vygozero. Beginning and ending with a labor force of 126,000, between 12,000 and 25,000 laborers died according to official records, while Anne Applebaum's estimate is 25,000 deaths. The canal was constructed by forced labor of gulag inmates. Until 1961, it was called by its original name: the Stalin White Sea–Baltic Canal ( Belomorsko-Baltiyskiy Kanal imeni Stalina). It connects the White Sea, in the Arctic Ocean, with Lake Onega, which is further connected to the Baltic Sea. The White Sea–Baltic Canal ( Russian: Беломо́рско-Балти́йский кана́л, romanized: Belomórsko-Baltíyskiy kanál), often abbreviated to White Sea Canal ( Belomorkanal) is a ship canal in Russia opened on 2 August 1933.
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