German federal states are calling for more federal funding for Rhine shipping at low water levels

The four German federal states on the Rhine have demanded more money from the federal government in view of the restrictions on inland shipping due to low water levels. With a financial requirement of at least 2.5 billion euros annually, the waterways fell far short of adequate maintenance, according to a joint position paper by the governments of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia. Road and rail, on the other hand, are regularly at the center of the transport policy debate.

“We need resilient transport routes on roads, rails and waterways,” said Hesse’s Transport Minister Kaweh Mansoori. The necessary modernizations would have to be reliably financed by the federal government. In the long term, however, a resilient infrastructure will not replace the water in the Rhine: “The only thing that can help is climate protection.”

The Baden-Württemberg Transport Minister Nicole Razavi said that since ports play a crucial role as important transshipment points in the system, strengthening the ports is also a responsibility of the federal government.

Short-term measures only address the symptoms

“Efficient inland ports and reliable freight transport on the Rhine are of outstanding importance for the supply of our industrial locations and the economic development of the state,” said Rhineland-Palatinate Transport Minister Achim Schwicker.