Due to abnormal heat in Europe and record low water levels on the Danube, shipping has nearly come to a standstill in several countries. This has created challenges for both cargo and cruise ships, as well as for nuclear power plants, which have been compelled to reduce electricity production.
In Hungary, the low water level has forced popular cruise liners, whose passengers typically disembark to visit landmarks in Budapest, to dock further upstream. According to the country’s Ministry of Transport and Investment, cargo shipping has nearly ceased entirely.
In neighboring Romania, water levels in certain sections of the Danube are already about one meter (three feet) below the minimum navigable level. “This is an exceptional situation,” said Adrian Maizel, a representative of the administration responsible for navigation on the Danube, in comments to AFP. He noted that dredging work is ongoing to maintain the possibility of ship passage.
“We are making every effort to maintain a navigable channel—albeit narrower—so that navigation is not completely blocked,” Maizel added.
Cruises canceled, ships running aground
In Bulgaria, where the Danube forms the border with Romania, police evacuated 186 tourists from a cruise ship that ran aground near the port city of Vidin on Tuesday.
In Serbia, hundreds of small boats and dozens of cargo ships are stranded near the exposed riverbank close to the city of Novi Sad, where the water has receded by about 20 meters (65 feet) from the usual shoreline. “The summer season has effectively ended if we are talking about river trips,” said Radovan Segrt, owner of a houseboat that organizes river excursions.
The low water level has also impacted energy production. Due to insufficient water volume to cool the reactors, Hungary and Romania have been forced to reduce electricity output at some nuclear power plants.
Source: Deutsche Welle
