Accident near Ludwigshöhe: Tanker carrying 250 tons of hydrogen is stuck in the Rhine

A motor tanker with dangerous cargo gets stuck in the channel off Ludwigshöhe. The authorities are closing the section of the river to large, wide vehicles. Three other freighters were already stuck at the weekend.

A motor tanker loaded with 250 tons of hydrogen got stuck on the Rhine near Ludwigshöhe. The ship was traveling downstream and got stuck on the left side of the channel around 7 a.m., according to the water police in Mainz.

Because the passage width is currently severely restricted, the Upper Rhine Waterways and Shipping Authority has ordered a closure for large vehicles that are overly wide. It applies between the port of Gernsheim and the Mainspitze near Mainz.

Since Saturday morning, three more large ships had become stuck in the area of ​​Rhine kilometer 474.00. According to police reports, they were each able to free themselves. No significant damage was caused. The investigation into the cause of the incidents is ongoing. It is also being examined whether a possible shoal in the section of the river could be responsible.

No recovery in the long term

Because of the drought, there is currently unusually little water in the Rhine. The water levels show how low the river is now: just a few days ago the water level in Cologne was 40 centimeters, a historic low. In Duisburg, the Rhine level reached its lowest level of 1.22 meters in September. Boats were stranded in Düsseldorf's media harbor, and the bed of the Rhine exposed old boats, ammunition and even tanks.

Even if some rain is now falling again, this means almost no recovery for the Rhine. According to experts, this could take weeks, if not months. There would have to be land rain for weeks, in the entire Rhineland from the Lower Rhine to the Upper Rhine, so that the Rhine level rises again to an appropriate level and shipping can run as usual. Several hundred liters per square meter would be necessary, say hydrologists.

The Rhine rises in Switzerland. Normally the river is fed by melting glaciers and snow, as well as water from precipitation. However, most of the melting did not occur. In order for there to be enough of it next year, there must be enough snow on the mountains in winter.