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Traffic jam on the Rhine: 20 ships were temporarily stuck between St Goar and Oberwesel on Wednesday.
The Dutch freighter »Arctic Circle« blocked the fairway due to engine failure.
In the evening, the river was reopened to shipping.
The incident puts additional pressure on the already shaken shipping traffic on Germany's most important waterway: The record low level of the Rhine caused by the drought is already causing delivery delays and increased freight costs.
The low water level not only brings with it recession concerns, but also uncovers memories of deprivation during past droughts: so-called "hunger stones" have reappeared.
The oldest stones date from the Middle Ages, some were only laid on the riverbank in 2018 during the last extreme drought.
They are intended to serve as a warning and to point out crop failures and famines caused by the drought and, more recently, to warn of supply bottlenecks when ships can no longer sail.
In view of the weather forecasts, which promise rain in the coming days, the Rhine Shipping Office is hopeful: the water level, which is currently only 1.52 meters, could increase by 50 centimeters.
