In view of persistently low water levels, the Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) sees the Elbe as a freight transport route at its end. Since the end of February, the water level has fallen below the required fairway depth of 1.40 meters for inland shipping on more than 120 days a year, according to BUND Saxony. For more than 60 days, the water level was even below one meter - and the summer had only just begun.
Fundamental change in climatic conditions
"Freight shipping on the Elbe is no longer worthwhile," said Felix Ekardt, Chairman of the Saxon state association. Climatic conditions have changed fundamentally, he said, with periods of low water increasing significantly due to global warming. The deepened Elbe is also accelerating the drainage of water and thus exacerbating the drought in the region.
According to BUND, the fairway depth of 1.40 meters is now unattainable for months at a time every year. This makes it extremely difficult to plan transports. The result: falling freight rates and a historic decline in handling volumes.