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https://apnews.com/article/germany-cologne-climate-and-environment-4942881f674d4e79bc06f9ea1514414b>
"COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — Water levels on the Rhine River could reach a
critically low point in the coming days, German officials said Wednesday,
making it increasingly difficult to transport goods — including coal and
gasoline — as drought and an energy crisis grip Europe.
Weeks of dry weather have turned several of Europe’s major waterways into
trickles, posing a headache for German factories and power plants that rely on
deliveries by ship and making an economic slowdown ever more likely.
Transporting goods by inland waterways is more important in Germany than in
many other Western European countries, according to Capital Economics.
“This is particularly the case for the Rhine, whose nautical bottleneck at Kaub
has very low water levels but which remains navigable for ships with small
drafts,” said Tim Alexandrin, a spokesman for Germany’s Transport Ministry.
Authorities predict that water levels at Kaub will dip below the mark of 40
centimeters (16 inches) early Friday and keep falling over the weekend. While
this is still higher than the record low of 27 centimeters seen in October
2018, many large ships could struggle to safely pass the river at that spot,
located roughly mid-way along the Rhine between Koblenz and Mainz."
Via Lee Rothstein and Christoph S.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
