Due to low water levels, no cargo ships are expected to operate on the Elbe from the Czech Republic to Magdeburg until September. Heiko Lorof, managing director of Sächsische Binnenhäfen Oberelbe (SBO), stated in response to an inquiry that economically viable cargo shipping on the Upper Elbe is currently not possible, which is why no ships are currently in operation.
Ships are waiting in ports
While this situation is familiar from the summer months of previous years, “However, this year we experienced very low water levels on the Elbe very early on (starting in late April), so we were unable to get all shipments to their destinations on time,” explained Lorof. As a result, large-volume and heavy-haul shipments in particular are waiting in the ports for water levels to rise, since they cannot switch to rail or road transport.
