Ship accident on the Moselle: traffic jams and worries about supply chains!

Ship accident on the Moselle: traffic jams and worries about supply chains!

Today, July 3, 2025, a ship accident in the Moselle lock near St. Aldegund is causing excitement and traffic jams. A cruise ship rammed a lock gate, causing significant damage. Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) at least sees light at the end of the tunnel and expresses the hope that the closure of the waterway can be lifted next week at the latest. Although the regional economy is concerned about disrupted supply chains, there are efforts to quickly mitigate the impact. Already on the first day after the accident, traffic was backed up in front of the defective lock: around 50 ships are currently at anchor and waiting for passage.

Stephan Momper, head of the Mosel-Saar-Lahn waterways and shipping administration, is optimistic. He expects that freight ship traffic may be able to resume as early as the weekend. But the situation is particularly tense for passenger ships, as the river cruise industry will be affected by longer waiting times this peak season, which can not only be annoying but also costly. In order to cushion the impact, the state government has lifted the Sunday driving ban for trucks so as not to further burden traffic in the region.

The cause of the accident and its consequences

The exact cause of the accident remains unclear. A passenger ship rammed the lock gate, resulting in three injuries - another person required medical attention due to the high temperatures that day. A total of 110 passengers from the affected cruise ship had to be taken to Düsseldorf by bus. While the authorities assess the specific damage, two scenarios could occur: either the gate is not severely damaged, which means that locks can be resumed quickly, or it is so badly deformed that more complex replacement measures are necessary.

Minister Daniela Schmitt and her colleague Schnieder visited the accident site and made it clear that it was time to tackle the expansion of the Moselle locks. Currently only three out of ten locks are double-chambered. “We have to work sustainably on the infrastructure to prevent such disruptions in the future,” explained Schmitt. Schnieder, on the other hand, emphasized that the accident was not due to dilapidated infrastructure, which further fuels the debate about the condition of the waterways.

A look at the past

Memories of a similar incident in Müden in December 2024 inevitably surfaced. At that time, 70 ships were stuck in a traffic jam, but those responsible emphasize that the current circumstances are completely different. Shipping traffic on the Moselle waterways is not only important for the region, but also plays a significant role in international freight traffic. With a total network of 7,476 kilometers of inland waterways, the waterway is essential for Germany's economic performance, also symbolized by the around 450 lock chambers that have to be maintained schifffahrtsverein.de.

The region is truly in a quandary. While ships hope for an early solution, the Saarland Chamber of Commerce and Industry is calling for a rapid expansion of the infrastructure. This urgency is not only a sign of current events, but also of the future of shipping on the Moselle. The question remains how quickly and effectively these challenges can be overcome so that such chaos no longer occurs in the future.