HAMBURG: Freight shipping on the river Mosel in west Germany has been blocked to shipping after an accident involving a passenger ship that damaged a lock, authorities said on Thursday.
The river, known as the Moselle in France, is an important transit route for grains and rapeseed between Germany and France. Transit was halted after an accident on Wednesday damaged a lock at Sankt Aldegund between Koblenz and Trier, a police spokesperson said.
Vessels cannot pass the Sankt Aldegund lock in either direction, the spokesperson said.
Technical experts on Thursday were examining the lock, and it is not yet possible to comment on the level of damage or say how long the impact on shipping will last, river navigation authority WSA said.
German federal transport minister Patrick Schnieder said in a statement he will visit the accident site later on Thursday.
“I will do everything in my power to ensure that the lock can resume operations as soon as possible,” Schnieder said.
The river was closed to inland waterways shipping in December after an accident that damaged a lock at Mueden, south of Koblenz, and only reopened in February after lengthy repairs.
Initial indications are that the lock’s concrete structure and drive mechanism were not damaged in the accident, WSA head Eric Oehlmann said in a statement.
Technicians are currently assessing whether it is possible to resume limited lock operations for the waiting vessels to pass, he said.
“If not, we will find another solution, for example, through emergency locks with temporary water control barriers, which have already proven effective,” Oehlmann said.
A temporary lock was successful in allowing ships to transit during the winter disruption.
“Despite the accident, there is determination that shipping on the Moselle will not come to a complete standstill," Oehlmann said.
