First low water, now frozen business by river ice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) February 21, 2012 -- Which annoys sailors either with a lack of water or with ice on the Rhine and Danube river basins.

Already several months lasting situation of unfavorable weather have been interrupting the flow of important commodities including grains, minerals, coal and petroleum products such as heating oil via the Rhine and Danube's shipping routes.

The period of shallow water caused by a dry spell in Germany and Switzerland influenced the maximum capacity of vessels allowed to sail with ships exceeding the size, needing to request permission and undertake a test sailing. Low water followed by an extensive percentage of the Danube covered by floating ice is causing a harsh time for traders. This reality is connected with increasing costs for cargo owners who in many cases pay the same price for half-empty vessels, surcharges are added to freight rates or the same freight volume is requered to ship. Declination to sail has appeared due to safety reasons, even on the side at vessels operators.

Traders caught in this circle of unsuitable coincidences for merchandising have a chance to share their experiences handling such situations with specialists in marine fuels & refining, liquid bulk, trade and distribution, logistics, as well as inland & short sea shipping. The opportunity to meet these experts represents Inland & Shortsea Fuel Forum 2012 taking place on 15-16 May 2012 near Duisburg - Europe’s largest inland port and logistics centre - Cologne on Rhine. This spot on waterway will gather European experts for two days to discuss troublesome issues, environmental topics related to the fuels in inland & short sea vs. costs, operations, regulations and technical aspects.
The impulse for the meeting is the tightening grip of emissions restrictions and fuel costs, which open a space for cooperation between inland & short sea shipping, thus maintaining competitive advantage over road transport.