What are the implications of the floods that have hit many European countries?
Recently, several European countries have been hit by severe flooding, resulting in casualties and widespread property damage. Reports indicate that the border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland have been severely affected, with floods washing away bridges and destroying some homes. The Moravia-Silesia region in the Czech Republic has been particularly impacted, with around 15,000 people evacuated due to the flooding. Slovak officials estimate that the floods have caused damages amounting to 20 million euros.
At the same time, the freight transport in these European countries is also facing significant delays.
Kuehne + Nagel has issued an advisory regarding the impact of widespread flooding, noting that rail traffic has significantly reduced or halted since the weekend.
According to Kuehne + Nagel, services to and from Austria, passing through Linz and Krems, and all ports within the METRANS network, as well as services to and from the Czech Republic via Ostrava, have been affected, as terminals in these regions are currently inaccessible. Additionally, the Usti nad Labem terminal has been closed due to high water levels.
While routes to northern ports remain open, the situation is being closely monitored as the Elbe River has not yet reached its peak water level, which may result in potential traffic suspensions.
Kuehne + Nagel further added, “All trains in the Bilk-Schedule are currently halted on the routes to and from Budapest, and it remains unclear when freight train services will return to normal. Additionally, it is understood that Hungary’s Vámosszabadi border crossing will be closed until September 23th.”
Meanwhile, MSC has indicated that due to the impact of floods in the Czech Republic and neighboring border regions, some container terminals in its multimodal network are facing operational restrictions.
Shippers and Consignee with shipments bound for these regions are advised to closely monitor local traffic conditions and cargo status updates, and to adjust their transportation plans accordingly to avoid unnecessary delays and potential losses.
