Water levels are falling - but there is still a shipping jam at Iffezheim
Although the water levels in the southwest are dropping again, at least 35 ships are still jammed at the Iffezheim lock on the Upper Rhine due to the high water of the past few days. However, a spokesperson for the Upper Rhine Waterways and Shipping Office (WSA) said that the first ships should be allowed to sail again by late Tuesday evening.
Navigation was suspended in the section between Iffezheim and Germersheim in Rhineland-Palatinate a few days ago after the water level in Karlsruhe-Maxau reached and exceeded 7.50 meters. According to forecasts by the Baden-Württemberg Flood Forecasting Center (HVZ), the water level should fall below this relevant value on Tuesday evening - at which point ships will be allowed to set sail again.
However, the WSA spokesman said that it would take at least until Wednesday morning for the backlog to clear. The faster and emptier ships will be allowed to proceed first in order to equalize the onward journey. In addition, only one lock chamber is currently available. The second was destroyed after a cargo ship hit a closed lock gate on November 11.
According to the HVZ, the critical level was also exceeded at the Hauenstein gauge on Tuesday, in addition to Maxau. However, according to the HVZ, water levels are also falling on the Upper Rhine. The German Weather Service (DWD) expected rainfall to gradually decrease during the night to Wednesday after intermittent rain.
The storm that caused the shipping jam at Iffezheim a few days ago is now giving way to improved weather conditions. Despite the expected decrease in rainfall, the shipping jam could persist until Wednesday due to the backlog and limited lock capacity.
Source: www.dpa.com
