Save the Danube! Heavy freighter blocks Regensburg - rescue underway!

Save the Danube! Heavy freighter blocks Regensburg - rescue underway!

Chaos on the Danube: A 110-meter-long cargo ship has blocked part of the important waterway in Regensburg since June 12, 2025. As sueddeutsche.de reports, the ship, which is loaded with 1,780 tons of iron ore from Rotterdam, ran aground on the right bank at Schwabelweis while trying to use the current. Since then, all previous rescue attempts with push boats have failed miserably.

Despite the blockage, other ships can pass sideways, which has defused the situation somewhat. However, the stuck ship makes the waterway more complicated for many transports in the Danube region, which plays a key role in inland waterway transport. If the Danube were viewed as a major trade route, such incidents are always a challenge for companies there.

Salvage attempts and forecasts

A new rescue attempt is planned for Monday. Another ship will arrive and use an excavator to unload some of the iron ore. Unloading makes the cargo ship lighter and therefore more maneuverable, increasing the chances of a successful rescue. Given the weather forecast, which predicts rain and thunderstorms for Sunday, it remains to be seen how the water level of the Danube will develop. So far, however, this has been stable and has not increased despite the unstable weather conditions, as kurier.de reports.

The emergency services are doing everything they can to get the freighter back on the road as quickly as possible. If this continues to fail, the damage to the companies involved, which may be classified as insurance loss, could increase significantly. Experts warn that a longer closure of the Danube due to the rescue measures cannot be ruled out.

The role of the Danube for shipping traffic

The Danube, which stretches an impressive 2,800 kilometers to its mouth in the Black Sea, has always been an important trade route. The river is of great importance not only for cargo ships, but also for passenger ships. This inland shipping has always had a high priority throughout history and has sometimes even acted as the backbone of trade in the region. Operators such as the Erste Donau-Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft (DDSG) still have a great influence on transport on this waterway today, as Wikipedia describes.

The Danube is currently navigable from Kelheim and has a total length of 2,415 km to the mouth. However, ship owners and operators must always pay attention to fluctuations in water levels, which are influenced by weather conditions and other factors. Depending on the water depth and bridge clearance height, traffic is regulated differently.

The situation on the Danube will remain exciting in the next few days. We'll stay tuned and report on developments surrounding the stuck cargo ship!