Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on December 13, 2024
1 min readLast updated: January 27, 2026
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Authorities plan to reopen Germany's Mosel River with a temporary lock system, crucial for grain and rapeseed shipments. 70 ships are currently blocked.
HAMBURG (Reuters) - Navigation authorities will attempt to install a temporary lock system on the river Mosel in west Germany this weekend to enable the river, an important route for grains and rapeseed shipments to and from Germany and France, to reopen to cargo shipping.
The river was closed to inland waterways shipping this week after an accident damaged a lock at Mueden south of Koblenz with repairs likely to last until late March.
However, German navigation agency WSA said on Friday that it is preparing a temporary lock system which will be tested over the weekend. If successful, it is hoped the first trapped ships would be able to transit the temporary lock system on Monday.
About 70 ships are blocked on the river, which is also an important route for supply shipments to the metal industry.
European rapeseed futures rose on Thursday after trading platform Euronext said it will suspend physical delivery to river ports in eastern France for the February contract, following the Mosel blockage.
(Reporting by Michael Hogan, editing by Kirsten Donovan)
The main topic is the reopening of the Mosel River in Germany to shipping using a temporary lock system after an accident caused a closure.
The Mosel River is a crucial shipping route for grain and rapeseed shipments between Germany and France, as well as for the metal industry.
The closure led to a rise in European rapeseed futures and affected physical deliveries to river ports in eastern France.
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