Cu cancer center, Research institute in Heidelberg, Germany

Berlin, Aug 27 Inland navigation on the Rhine river is set to become even more difficult, with already low water levels expected to drop again, according to the latest forecasts by Germany's Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV)."The low water level of the Rhine and many other rivers is currently affecting freight transport on inland waterways, and makes it more difficult to maintain supply chains," the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said on Friday.During the record drought in late 2018, freight transport volumes on German inland waterways temporarily fell by more than a third, reports Xinhua news agency.Germany's economy is highly sensitive to any disruptions on the Rhine, the country's biggest river and the busiest waterway in Europe.Although the water level at the shallow Kaub monitoring station has now risen, total industrial output would decline by around 1 per cent should it fall below the critical mark of 78 cm for 30 days, the German Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel) warned recently.Inland shipping in Germany is of particularly great importance for energy sources such as coal and natural gas.Restrictions on transport via the Rhine would "hit supply chains that are already very strained", said IfW Vice President Stefan Kooths.To secure sufficient energy supplies under these circumstances, Germany recently decided to prioritize rail transport of energy-related shipments over passenger transport."Even passenger trains can only run if our power grid and power supply are stable," said Minister of Transport Volker Wissing.The country's industry association BDI, however, considers a switch from ship to train difficult due to current railway congestion, the pandemic and a shortage of drivers.It is only a matter of time before further supply bottlenecks, and production cutbacks or even shutdowns hit the industry, BDI said."Politic, the economy and society must prepare themselves for the fact that such dry periods will no longer be just exceptions in the future, but the rule," BDI managing director Holger Loesch warned earlier this month.The current drought covers large parts of Europe and is the worst for at least 500 years, the European Commission has said.Nearly half of the European Union is in a warning state, meaning that less precipitation than usual has fallen and soil moisture is in deficit.Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Cu Cancer CenterFOLLOW

Cu cancer center, Latest News

Karlsruhe (Germany), Sep 1 German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called on Christ to stand up to the Russian ... ...

New Delhi, Aug 31 LG Electronics on Wednesday introduced the world's first TV with a bendable 42-inch OLED ... ...

LG Electronics will release a new shoe care appliance in 14 years since it installed a shoe care function at the bottom of the drum washing machine. ...

Berlin, Aug 31 Russian gas deliveries to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline stopped on ... ...

Berlin, Aug 31 An administrative court in the German capital Berlin has declared the expulsion of a convicted ... ...

Prague/Brussels, Aug 30 Germany and France have rejected a proposed blanket ban on Russian citizens entering the European ... ...

Berlin, Aug 27 The German government is distributing 19,500 more monkeypox vaccine doses across the country next week, ... ...

Berlin, Aug 27 Inland navigation on the Rhine river is set to become even more difficult, with already ... ...