There is now no commercial inland navigation in Latvia. The first 10km from the Baltic is the entrance for deep-sea vessels to the port of Riga. Historically, the Daugava was navigable as part of the Berezina route to the Danube, but three hydropower plants and dams (with locks never completed) prevent the development of inland navigation on the upper Daugava River. There is also an old canal to the north of Riga, linking the Daugava to the Gauja, built around 1900. It was only used for rafting timber and is now derelict. However, it does have what is probably the world's longest lock, one mile in length…

The project of a Daugava-Dniepr link is being promoted by many economic and political stake holders in Latvia, Belarus and Ukraine.