It is so dry in Germany, the nature desperately needs rain. Also, the economy is longing for precipitation, then the level would rise and it could be better transported goods.
Companies suffer from the low water levels in German rivers. You need to pay more money for the supply of their works and for the Transport of goods. The freighter was not as heavily loaded as before, as you could otherwise accumulate on the surface. On the Rhine, some of the ships are expected to carry only about a third of the usual charge, said Roberto Spranzi of the Deutsche Transport cooperative inland waterways. The rates per loaded ton would have quadrupled about by the high demand for additional freighters.
The lower charge balance amount, more ships on the longest river in Germany . “Anything that can swim is driving at the moment,” says Spranzi. The industrial group Thyssenkrupp had to hire additional ships, plying between Rotterdam and Duisburg. The Cologne-based specialty chemicals manufacturer Lanxess uses more freighters than usual. The chemical group BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany was forced to reduce due to the extreme low water production. In the Leverkusen Chempark, and the chemicals group, Lanxess supplies are transferred by road and Rail. Also, the scrap trade complained of significantly higher cost.
Freight costs quadrupled
According to the Federal Association of German steel recycling and disposal companies, the freight costs on the Rhine, Main and Neckar up to 40 Euro per ton of quadrupled. Also in the East of Germany is little water in the rivers. On the river Elbe at Magdeburg no inland waterway vessels and excursion steamers to drive for months, as the water and shipping office said. In the state of Brandenburg are allowed to operate on the Elbe and the Oder already since the early summer, no cargo ships.
In the South of Germany there are restrictions. For some, the boat driver, “as if it is since April/may on the highway in traffic congestion” – because of some of the bottlenecks you will no longer come since then, said Stefanie of the waterways and shipping authority Nuremberg. Cruise ships are able to sail on a part of the Danube. The low water also affects the Main-Danube canal, where, in September, only about a third of the usual volume of Goods that could happen.
Excursion steamer problems
Single river cruise ships or pleasure boats can no longer nationwide starting cities, you need to redirect, and finished the season at an early stage, said the Bonn-based tour operator Phoenix Reisen. “The economic damage is considerable,” says the industry Association, IG River Cruise.
Also, on drivers the low water had an impact, at least for a few hour. Due to the low level of the Rhine motorists were under the week of a half-dozen gas stations in North Rhine-Westphalia, temporarily out of Gas. This could repeat itself in the coming days.
Energy supply and Overseas shipping in the green area
In the power supply, still no major consequences, however, are recognizable. The coal camps are still filled sufficiently, it is the utility of EnBW. In the case of RWE the coal-fired power plant in Hamm, Germany may not be supplied with full freighters.
In the case of Overseas shipping, it runs as usual. The largest German port, Hamburg, the cargo volumes, the container ships as high as before, so the German shipowners ‘ Association. The water level can therefore be explained by the access to the North sea is easier to compensate for than in the case of inland waters.
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Drought around the globe
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Drought around the globe