Mosel Shipping Resumes on Emergency Basis After Lock Damage

Provisional repairs at the Müden lock enable limited ship passage, but full restoration could take months.

Emergency lock operations at Müden on the Mosel River have allowed 74 stranded ships to begin moving, with eight vessels processed in the first 24 hours.
The damaged lock is operating with a temporary steel gate that is installed and removed for each passage, while a replacement gate is being prepared in Trier.
Transportation officials estimate that normal operations will not resume until at least March 2025, as significant structural repairs are required.
The damage, caused by a freight ship collision on December 8, includes cracked concrete and bent walls, though some areas below the waterline suffered less harm than initially feared.
Industry representatives have called for faster construction of secondary lock chambers to prevent future disruptions to critical inland shipping routes.