Falling water levels after dryer weather this week
mean Rhine river shipping has re-started around Maxau in south Germany, the
German inland waterways navigation agency said. This means sailings to Switzerland are again possible.
The river had been closed to freight shipping at
Maxau over the weekend after heavy rain caused extensive flooding in south
Germany. Shipping on northern sections of the river had been operating normally
this week, including at the important points of Duisburg, Cologne and
Duesseldorf.
High water means vessels cannot sail
under bridges for lack of enough space.
The high water warning centre in the south German
state of Baden-Wuerttemberg said it was possible that water levels at Maxau
could rise sharply early next week, threatening new closures.
The Rhine is an important shipping
route for commodities including minerals, coal and oil products such as heating
oil, grains and animal feed. It has repeatedly suffered from low water levels
because of unusually dry summers in recent year.