Moselle shipping has been halted
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On Sunday, 8 December 2024, a cargo ship with 1,500 tonnes of scrap metal on board collided with the gate of the Müden lock on the Moselle River. The incident occurred at around 13:00 when the lock chamber was preparing to receive the vessel.
The nature of the damage:
- Both gate leaves were completely ripped off their mountings and severely deformed.
- The hydraulic cylinders that operate the gates and their concrete mountings are damaged and need to be replaced.
The vessel sustained hull damage in the bow above the waterline. The ship remained afloat and is in the lower part of the lock.
The lock became unusable, bringing a complete halt to shipping on this section of the Moselle. Around 70 vessels are stranded in the area between the French border and the Rhine. The Mosel-Saar-Lahn water authority has already formed a crisis headquarters. However, the repair work will take several months, and the lock is not expected to be restored until the end of March 2025 at the earliest.
