In view of the low water levels in Germany, Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger is committed to expanding the rivers. “Fundamentally, we should all have an understanding that the waterway deserves support because it is the most environmentally friendly mode of transport,” he told the editorial network Germany.
There can only be trust in inland shipping if there are no regular low water problems, said the CDU politician. "That's why we need to expand the waterway to ensure greater reliability in the long term."
Federal Environment Minister against expanding rivers
Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) said deepening rivers was not the answer to the current situation. Rather, what is needed is a “dismantling” of rivers, “away from canals and towards natural rivers with meandering branches, with floodplain landscapes that hold the water in the area”.
Conservationists are also critical of expanding the rivers. “They do more harm than good,” explained Beatrice Claus from the WWF. “As a result of the expansion and straightening, the water flows even faster into the North and Baltic Seas instead of being kept in the surrounding area.” It is more important to create more storage capacity for water with natural landscapes. Bilger had announced that he would also talk to environmental associations about his plans.
The major German rivers have low water levels in many places due to the ongoing drought. Historical lows were measured on the Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia at the weekend. The low water levels pose major problems for inland shipping, as ships can transport significantly less cargo or can even no longer sail at all.
Bilger: The situation is problematic until the end of August
Because of the persistent low water levels, Bilger wants to discuss further measures with the state department heads today. The switching conference is about dealing with certain goods that can no longer be stored in the ports, said Bilger. He assumes that it will remain problematic until at least the end of August.
However, the transport minister does not currently see any supply bottlenecks. “As of now, the supply is guaranteed,” said Bilger in the Rheinische Post. In order to reduce the risk, more freight traffic must be shifted from waterways to rail and road. The federal and state governments wanted to coordinate on further steps.
Bilger praised Deutsche Bahn: "I am grateful that the railway took care of it immediately and provided additional capacity." This included additional wagons, the number of which was expected to increase.
Construction industry: First bottlenecks already announced
The construction industry, however, sees the situation much more critically. “Suppliers have already announced supply bottlenecks for the first building materials in the event that the situation continues for a longer period of time, which is currently expected,” said Tim-Oliver Müller, managing director of the Main Association of the German Construction Industry, to the editorial network Germany.
He doesn't currently see any nationwide construction stops. However, the longer and more pronounced the low water phase lasts, the greater the risk of bottlenecks, higher logistics costs and delays.
Yesterday, other federal states suspended the driving ban for trucks on Sundays and public holidays in order to at least partially relocate transport. Most recently, Hesse, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg issued exceptions. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Berlin and Brandenburg also followed.
Thuringia was the first country to completely lift the Sunday driving ban for trucks. From now on, all types of goods can also be transported by truck on Sundays - until August 31st. Thuringia goes further than other federal states. Berlin and Brandenburg, for example, only allow truck transport of goods that are usually transported on inland waterways on Sundays.
