Low water levels in Bonn and the region Köln-Düsseldorfer stops ship traffic on the Rhine
The extremely low water levels in the Rhine have caused the Köln-Düsseldorfer shipping company to cease their ship traffic on the river.
„We think it is too dangerous, the safety of our passengers comes first“, said a spokesperson of the shipping company. Previously the SWR tv station had reported on the fact that the Köln-Düsseldorfer has stopped its services for the rest of the year.
So the scheduled service of the ships between Düsseldorf and Mainz has ceased a few days before the normal end of season next Sunday. The round trips in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt can still take place.
Other than during high waters when the authorities decide on the shipping services to be interrupted if needs be, the shipping companies have to decide for themselves what to do when the water levels are low, depending on the depth of the ships and the water levels. The levels dropped drastically again due to a lack of rain for days, said the spokesperson.
The Köln-Düsseldorfer Deutsche Rheinschifffahrt AG is generally happy with the course of this season. „The beautiful weather brought us lots of guests“, said the spokesperson. Exact numbers were not available yet. But according to her they are definitely higher than last year, with its rainy July and August.
Original text: dpa
Translation: Mareike Graepel
