ShippingMoselle lock in Müden back in operation eight weeks after accident
SDA
1.2.2025 - 13:28
The Moselle lock in Müden, Rhineland-Palatinate, has been reopened to shipping traffic eight weeks after an accident. (archive picture)
Keystone
The Moselle lock in Müden, Rhineland-Palatinate, has been reopened to shipping traffic eight weeks after an accident. German Transport Minister Volker Wissing sailed through the newly installed lock gate on the MS Mainz.
Keystone-SDA
01.02.2025, 13:28
01.02.2025, 13:29
SDA
"The accident has once again shown us that rivers are lifelines - and our experts have definitely proven their lifesaving qualities," said Wissing, according to a press release. Not only did the team manage the Christmas miracle of getting all the ships and the people on board safely through the damaged lock before Christmas Eve by means of an emergency lock, they also repaired the broken technical miracle in record time.
Ready earlier than expected
After eight weeks of downtime, ships are now able to navigate the Moselle again. This means that the repairs to the lock have been completed much faster than expected. Shortly after the accident on December 8, the experts expected the lock to be closed until the end of March.
There are several reasons why it is now two months earlier. Work on the lock was initially carried out 24 hours a day. 16 employees from the building yard in Trier worked a total of 1600 hours to complete the two gate wings.
The accident at the beginning of December had caused weeks of concern for the economy. Around 70 ships were stuck on the Moselle and had to be put through an emergency lock. The public prosecutor's office in Koblenz is currently investigating a 27-year-old man on suspicion of endangering shipping traffic.
Neighboring Luxembourg reacted with joy and relief to the release. Yuriko Backes, Minister for Mobility and Public Works, announced that the fact that the river could be reopened in February was the result of "excellent cooperation" between all those involved.