The water of Germany’s most important navigable river reaches zero and sounds the alarm in freight transport
The water level of the Rhine, Germany’s most important navigable river for freight transport, has reached zero due to the prolonged drought and lack of rainfall. Near the town of Emmerich, near the border with the Netherlands, the current is virtually non-existent, the German Bureau for River Navigation (WSV) reported on Tuesday. It is a historic figure, as the lowest level to date was recorded at that time in October 2018 with a depth of just 7 centimeters. This does not apply to the narrow dredged and navigable strip through which fewer and fewer ships pass, whose depth is currently less than one and a half meters and forcing the cargo to be reduced to no more than 30% of what is usual to avoid hitting the bottom, what makes the transport of goods extremely expensive and unprofitable.
Hundreds of cargo and passenger ships are anchored in the ports of the Rhine and its tributaries without being able to operate. A situation that exacerbates the energy crisis, as much of the coal for thermal power plants in this country is transported by river, as well as diesel for heating or fuel for gas stations.
Complications in river navigation have set alarm bells ringing in German industry. “It is only a matter of time until the factories have to be disconnected from the chemical or steel industry, the petroleum derivatives and construction material do not reach their destination and large special river transports cannot be carried out,” Holger Lösch said on Tuesday. , vice president of the Federal German Industry (BDI). The consequences are delivery problems, reduced production, even production stoppages and the inevitable shortening of the working week. “Companies are preparing for the worst. The tense economic situation facing many companies is only going to get worse,” said Lösch. “River ships, if they ever do, sail with minimal load. And a switch from river shipping to rail and road is very difficult this summer due to the lack of capacity on the roads, the coronavirus pandemic and the shortage of truck drivers,” he added.
Speaking to the economic newspaper ‘Handelsblatt’, number two of the BDI noted that the low flow of the Rhine and other rivers such as the Elbe could exacerbate the already critical situation in the energy supply. “Political plans to increase the use of coal in the light of the gas crisis are being sabotaged by the enormous transport difficulties. In addition to the transport of coal, the supply of fuels depends to a large extent on the river routes,” warned the high representative of German industry. Lösch demanded that the Berlin executive coordinate with the state governments, the logistics industry and companies to closely monitor the situation and respond in a timely manner to the impending closure of the waterways.
After weeks of no rain and months of drought, the situation is worrying at several points along the river that crosses Germany from south to north, from Switzerland to the North Sea. In Kaub, between Mainz and Koblenz and halfway from the source to the mouth, the Rhine stood only 33 centimeters this morning and the dredging strip was no higher than 144 centimeters. In Cologne, the level of the Rhine is 77 centimeters. Despite the critical situation, the situation is expected to improve in the coming days. Heavy rainfall has been announced in the Rhineland for this Thursday and Friday, which would help raise the water level of the river that gives the region its name.
Source: La Verdad
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