Niedrigwasser: Binnenschiffer befürchten Unterbrechung der Rhein-Route
Der längste Fluss Deutschlands führt zu wenig Wasser, Frachtschiffe müssen ihre Ladung reduzieren. Wenn es nicht bald regnet, fürchten Interessenvertreter eine „Zweiteilung des Rheins“.
Low water in the Rhine is causing concern among barge operators. The trade association for inland waterway transport, BDB, warns that the weekly low water level at the "Kaub" gauge in Rhineland-Palatinate, expected to be only single-digit meters, could disrupt river transport. This reference point between Cologne and Mainz is particularly concerning as the canal here is naturally shallow.
BDB's Jens Schwanen explains that with such low water levels, commercial barges and day trips/cruises will be unable to navigate the region. Consequently, the Rhine is effectively split into two separate stretches, no longer navigable end-to-end. Barges can still travel between the ARA ports of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp and across North Rhine-Westphalia up to Cologne.
South of this point, traffic continues on the Rhine's tributaries Neckar, Mosel and Main, as well as on the Main-Danube Canal.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
