A passenger vessel has reportedly damaged a lock on the Moselle River in western Germany, halting freight shipping on a key waterway used for transporting rapeseed and grain between France and Germany.

According to a police spokesperson, the vessel struck the lock at Sankt Aldegund, located between Koblenz and Trier, resulting in the suspension of inland navigation. Traffic in both directions through the lock has been blocked, and approximately 50 cargo vessels remain stranded on the Moselle River.

Experts and officials inspected the lock on Thursday but stated that it is too early to assess the extent of the damage or to determine how long shipping will be disrupted.

Germany’s Federal Transport Minister, Patrick Schnieder, said he will do everything possible to ensure the lock is returned to operation as soon as possible.

This incident follows a similar event in December of last year, when inland shipping on the Moselle was halted due to damage at the Mueden lock south of Koblenz. That lock underwent extensive repairs and reopened in February.

According to Eric Oehlmann, an official involved in the response, preliminary inspections suggest that the concrete structure and drive mechanism of the lock are intact. He added that technicians are currently evaluating whether limited lock operations could be restored to allow stranded vessels to pass.

If that is not possible, an emergency lock equipped with temporary water control barriers may be used. However, this would be a slower process, requiring approximately one hour per vessel to transit the lock.