Water levels on the river Danube in Hungary have risen and shipping restrictions have ended, an official at the Economy and Transport Ministry said on Monday. Last week the Grain Association said barges could only be loaded to around half their capacity due to low water levels.
"Water levels have risen due to precipitation in the watershed area in Germany and Austria," Tamas Marton, Chief Advisor at the ministry, told Reuters. "Sailing is possible without obstacles," he added. There are some delays at a bridge at Dunafoldvar, south of Budapest, where half the waterway is closed as the riverbed is being dredged, Imre Martics, the head of the Superintendence for Shipping, said.
An official at the local water management agency in the south of Hungary said water levels have started to fall again, making it likely that obstacles to sailing would re-emerge soon. There are some low water cargo surcharges in force on Europe's other main waterway, the Rhine river.