© DIHK / Marko Priske

Each month, six million tons of goods cannot be transported via the Rhine – equivalent to the load of around 250,000 trucks. This leads to delivery delays, higher costs, and ultimately production slowdowns, Binding explained. Affected sectors include chemicals, steel, construction materials, energy, agriculture, and food industries: "Ultimately, it impacts the broad base of the German economy."

The idea of shifting freight transport to rail is good – "but we know that the railway system is already at its limit and currently cannot accommodate additional capacities due to numerous renovation measures and construction sites," said the DIHK expert. To compensate for the entire inland navigation of the Rhine, nearly 500,000 truck trips or a significant number of freight trains would be required, "which simply isn’t feasible."

Implementation of acceleration measures is overdue

The special conference on 6 August will not bring rain, Binding noted. However, the measures that have long been discussed must now finally be implemented: channel optimization, elimination of bottlenecks – and above all, the acceleration of planning and approval procedures. The goal of the conference will ultimately be to make shipping operable for longer periods. "We urgently need fast measures for a resilient infrastructure, and this must happen very quickly."

As a potential relief measure, Binding mentioned increasing storage capacities. "But considering how long approval procedures for hazardous goods take in Germany, this is also not a truly short-term solution." Increasing rail capacities is also not currently an option: "The railways are at their limit. How is this supposed to work?" In view of the current crisis situation, prioritization is already being discussed. However, non-prioritized industries would then likely have to cease production, the DIHK department head pointed out.

Structural measures are needed, and action on them must be much quicker. Ships with lower drafts have been discussed for a long time, and they could indeed be ordered. Nevertheless, the costs are substantial, and the economic situation of inland shipping is already strained.

A halt to inland shipping would be a "worst-case scenario"

A cessation of inland freight shipping would result in a "worst-case scenario for the German economy," Binding warned. Roads and railways could not compensate for it. Furthermore, inland navigation is not only one of the most economical but also one of the most ecological transport options. "This is why we hope and are doing everything possible to ensure that inland navigation is not suspended and that its capacity is not reduced but rather increased in the future."

The full interview can be streamed on the rbb24 Inforadio website (in German language only).