Eleven river cruise ships are currently waiting on the Hungarian stretch of the Danube because of exceptionally low water levels, while most cargo vessels have also been forced to halt operations, Hungary’s Ministry of Transport and Investment (KBM) told the Hungarian News Agency (MTI) on Wednesday.
10 cm needed between riverbed and hull
The ministry said low water levels were currently hampering the movement of deeper-draught vessels not only in Hungary but along the entire 2,412-kilometre navigable stretch of the river. For safety reasons, vessels must maintain a clearance of at least 10 centimetres between their hulls and the riverbed.
As a result, some cargo vessels can operate only after drastically reducing their loads, in some cases to just 10 to 20 per cent of their normal carrying capacity, the ministry said.
The authorities stressed that water-management agencies regularly survey the river, while the navigation authority issues official notices warning vessels about shoals where the standard navigable depth of 270 centimetres is no longer available.
Several stretches of the Hungarian Danube too shallow
The water level determines the maximum draught that can safely be accommodated on each section of the river. At the current levels, several stretches of the Hungarian Danube have become too shallow for normal commercial navigation.
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The navigation authority is not imposing a blanket restriction on shipping because of the low water levels. Instead, the master of each vessel is responsible for deciding whether it is safe to proceed, taking into account the latest published water levels and information on shoals, as well as the vessel’s own draught, the ministry said.
The number of stranded river cruise ships has nevertheless fallen in recent days. According to an earlier statement from the ministry, 15 cruise ships were still waiting on the Hungarian section of the Danube last Tuesday.
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