Central European Floods Disrupt Operations

Flooding in Central Eastern Europe, impacting several inland facilities and container depots

Severe flooding across Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic has impacted local transport infrastructure, including key container facilities.

German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd announced that the floods have already disrupted operations at its container depots in the region, leading to potential delays. The company assured customers that bookings will still be accepted but warned that container releases in the affected areas may experience delays.

“We are working to restore normal operations as quickly as possible,” said Hapag-Lloyd in a customer advisory.

Meanwhile, global freight forwarder Kuehne+Nagel provided an update on operations at the Ostrava terminal in the Czech Republic, which had been closed due to the floods. The terminal is expected to be fully operational by rail today, with the first train on the Ceska Trebova–Ostrava route scheduled to depart on 20 September. Full services at Ostrava are expected to resume over the weekend.

Kuehne+Nagel also reported that while most Austrian routes have reopened, uncertainty remains over services passing through the Krems terminal. Local infrastructure managers have yet to confirm the full reopening of rail lines in that area, meaning some services remain limited.