Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 9, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe Mosel river in Germany reopens for shipping after successful trials on a damaged lock. This key route for grains and rapeseed is operational again.
HAMBURG (Reuters) -Trials to reopen the Mosel river in western Germany to domestic freight shipping have initially been successful with ships able to use a damaged lock for sailing in both directions, navigation authorities said on Wednesday.
Shipping was stopped on the river, a key transit route for grains and rapeseed between Germany and France, after an accident involving a passenger vessel last week damaged a lock at Sankt Aldegund between the cities of Koblenz and Trier in western Germany.
If use of a damaged lock continues successfully in the coming days, shipping could be normalised on the river, inland waterways navigation agency WSA said.
The lock is examined after each vessel transit and has been holding up well. In addition, a diver will examine the lock below water at least once a week, the agency said.
A similar lock accident that halted shipping in December on the river, called the Moselle in France, led futures exchange operator Euronext to suspend physical delivery to river ports in eastern France for its rapeseed futures.
(Reporting by Michael Hogan, Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Shipping was halted on the Mosel river after an accident involving a passenger vessel damaged a lock at Sankt Aldegund.
The inland waterways navigation agency WSA reported that trials to reopen the Mosel river for shipping have been initially successful.
The lock is examined after each vessel transit and is holding up well. Additionally, a diver will inspect the lock below water at least once a week.
If the use of the damaged lock continues successfully, shipping could be normalized on the Mosel river in the coming days.
A similar lock accident in December led Euronext to suspend physical delivery to river ports in eastern France.
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