HAMBURG (Reuters) – Parts of the river Rhine in south Germany remain closed to shipping on Friday after a rise in water levels following heavy rain this week, German authorities said on Friday.
Rhine river shipping has been stopped around Maxau in south Germany since Wednesday night, the WSA inland waterways navigation agency said.
High water means vessels do not have enough space to sail under bridges and the blockage prevents vessels sailing to Switzerland.
Water levels are falling and the river may reopen later on Friday, a WSA spokesperson said. But continued rain means the fall is not as fast as hoped and a precise forecast for reopening is not possible, he said.
Central and northern sections of the river were still open to shipping.
The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities including minerals, coal, grains, animal feed and oil products such as heating oil.
The Rhine has repeatedly suffered from low water levels because of unusually dry summers in recent years.
(Reporting by Michael Hogan; Editing by David Goodman)
