Parts of the River Rhine in southern Germany remain closed to cargo shipping on Tuesday due to increased water levels following heavy rainfall in the region, navigation authorities have reported.
The German inland waterways navigation agency has stated that Rhine river shipping has been halted around the areas of Maxau and Mannheim in southern Germany. The river had been closed to freight shipping over the weekend after the heavy rain caused extensive flooding in southern Germany, effectively stopping sailings to Switzerland.
High water levels mean that vessels do not have enough clearance to sail under bridges, leading to the blockage that prevents ships from reaching Switzerland. However, shipping on the northern sections of the Rhine, including the important points of Duisburg, Cologne, and Karlsruhe, is still operating normally despite the rising water levels.
The high water warning center in the southern German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg has stated that Rhine water levels are expected to fall in the coming days, but the Maxau area is not currently forecast to reopen to shipping until Friday.
The Rhine is a crucial shipping route for a variety of commodities, including minerals, grains, animal feed, coal, and oil products such as heating oil. The river has repeatedly suffered from low water levels in recent years due to unusually dry summers, but the current closure is a result of the heavy rainfall in the region.