Rhine open for shipping as rain stops
Sections of the river Rhine in south Germany, that have previously been closed to shipping due to high water levels, have now been re-opened. Dry weather has brought the water levels down allowing the shipping to clear bridges and sail unobstructed.
The German navigation authorities closed the sections of the river around Maxau, Reuters reports. The northern portion of the river, including Duisburg, Cologne and Düsseldorf have been operating normally.
High water levels meant that vessels were unable to sail under bridges which restricted vessels from sailing to Switzerland. Heavy rainfall brought shipping to a halt around Maxau and Mannheim initially.
In recent years, the river Rhine water levels have been on the lower end of the scale due to unusually hot and dry summers. This also hampered shipping along a major shipping route for commodities such as coal, minerals, grains, or oil products.