Although it has rained quite a lot in the last few days, the low Water level in the Rhine Problems. This is a problem for large ships in particular because they can no longer sail with a full load.
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Container Ships Have Less Cargo On Board
The low water level is a particular Container ship a problem. Despite the rain of the last few days, the Fairway water level is very low. The large container ships are therefore far from being able to be fully loaded and have significantly less cargo on board than usual. Many ports have reacted to the low water level and are now loading more ships, which are smaller and therefore have no problems.
There Is Still Enough Water
Near Cologne, there is currently a water level of just under two meters. But that does not mean that there is only a depth of two meters. Rather, it is the case that for safety reasons, at a water level of 0, the water depth in the shipping channel for ships is still one meter. This means that currently there are three meters of deep water at these points. This precaution is important because it prevents ships from running aground.
The Rhine Passes Through Many Countries
But before you even arrive in the city of Cologne on the Rhine, you have to make a long journey. Namely, the Rhine has its origin in Switzerland, then it flows through Austrian territory and then to Germany. Other countries through which the Rhine flows are Liechtenstein, France, and the Netherlands. There, the Rhine then flows into the North Sea.
Explanation Of The Difficult Words:
As the Water level is the height of water in rivers, canals, lakes, and all other bodies of water.
The Rhine is the largest river in Germany. Of its total length of about 1239 km, 883 km are navigable by ships. In total, the Rhine runs 865 kilometers through Germany, starting at Lake Constance and then up to Kleve, where it then crosses the border with the Netherlands.
Container ships are types of ships designed to transport ISO containers. The container ship originated in the USA in the 1950s.
Fairway is the term used to describe the part of a river on which ships are allowed to navigate. The same regulations then apply on this navigation channel as apply, for example, to motorists on the road. On rivers or canals, the Inland Waterways Ordinance applies here.
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