Barging in
26th September 1991, Page 29
26th September 1991
Page 29
Page 29, 26th September 1991
— Barging in
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Nontinental hauliers are enjoying a mini boom because low water levels in the Rhine navigation system are causing a switch to road freight, inland waterway tonnages have been well down since the beginning of September: the worst drought in 25 years means that French barges are running with less than a third of their normal loads — 800 tonnes instead of 3,400 tonnes — and many have still been stranded on the Sarre and the Moselle, unable to enter the Rhine.
At one point of the mighty Rhine at Coblenz the river is down to only 1.7m — a major problem for transport in Germany where 20% of freight goes by inland waterway.
It goes to show that despite the growing talk of environmentally friendly water transport, trucks deliver the goods.