Inserts:

00:03 Report | Dagmar Zindel
00:34 Tim Goedde | Director of Ship Management, HGK Shipping
01:12 Steffen Bilger | German Minister of Transport
01:50 Christian Staerke | Passant

Script:

+++SYN+++

The Rhine near Duisburg. Ships are still running. But water levels are at historic lows. The situation is extremely critical.
And it's happening very early in the year.

Duisburg is Europe's largest inland port. It's a hub for containers filled with goods and raw materials from all over the world. However, low water levels are driving up transport costs for businesses. Many vessels are operating with significantly reduced loads. This particularly affects the steel and chemical industries, which rely on raw material deliveries via waterways.

00:32 
SOT +++Tim Goedde, Director of Ship Management at HGK Shipping+++
"One alternative, of course, is the use of so-called low-water-optimized vessels; but as you can probably imagine, these aren't built overnight. A ship typically takes between one and a half and two and a half years to build, depending on its dimensions. And naturally, given the size of the Rhine shipping fleet, this process can only happen gradually—step by step."

According to traders, the cost of transporting goods by waterway from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe has risen to 150 to 160 euros per ton, compared to 45 Euros at the end of June.

The Federal Minister of Transport promises support.

+++SOT Steffen Bilger, Federal Minister of Transport+++
"We can't influence the weather, but we could ensure that our economy gets through these difficult weeks better. That's why we will now take corrective action where necessary. If transport has to be shifted to the roads at short notice, we can make exceptions to the Sunday and public holiday driving ban for particularly affected goods."

01:30
That helps the transport companies - in the short term.

It doesn't help the Rhine.

Here near Neuss, a sunken fishing boat has resurfaced due to the low water level. It was last seen completely submerged in 2003. (emerged)

01:47
+++SOT Christian Staerke, Passerby+++
"This month is so extreme - the prolonged heat. It's not just a brief spell of 40 degrees or something. We've had this heat for, I think, over eight weeks now. Yeah, it's scary. Of course, it's scary."

2:02
Heat waves and drought have severely impacted Germany's longest river.

The Rhine is not only an important transport route for goods, but also a water source for millions of people and a habitat for animals and plants.

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