Elbe deepening stopped again
According to information from Norddeutscher Rundfunk, the deepening of the Elbe has been halted in the Elbe estuary, close to the guide dam at the Kugelbake off Cuxhaven. According to the Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV), more explosive ordnance has been found there, radio station NDR 90.3 reported on Tuesday. The authority assumes that the munitions from the Second World War were driven into the shipping channel there as a result of the last deepening of the Elbe.
"This is not good news at all for the Port of Hamburg," Hamburg's Senator for Economic Affairs Melanie Leonhard (SPD) told the broadcaster. The responsible federal government was expected to do everything possible to start and complete the necessary measures as quickly as possible. It is still unclear when the Elbe can be dredged again. A spokeswoman for the WSV explained that the ongoing exploratory and salvage work must first be awaited.
The deepening of the Elbe was approved at the beginning of last year to allow ships with a draught of up to 1.90 meters more to navigate the river. Just a few months later, however, there was already so much silt in the Elbe's navigation channel that the additional draught was only 90 centimetres at most.
The halt in the Elbe deepening could have significant consequences for shipping in the region. Furthermore, the discovery of World War II munitions in the shipping channel highlights the ongoing impacts of past conflicts on modern infrastructure.
Source: www.dpa.com
