Strike further tarnishes the reputation of the North Baltic Canal during challenging circumstances!
The Kiel Canal, a crucial shipping route connecting the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in northern Germany, faces potential disruption due to a strike by the German trade union, Verdi. The strike, which is set to affect the canal for almost four days, could paralyse industrial sectors in Brunsbüttel and cause delays, congestion, and interruptions in supply chains.
The heart of the dispute lies at the traffic control center on the middle island of the large locks in Brunsbüttel. If just two or three employees are absent from this center, nothing moves in the Kiel Canal. The mood among the pilots is not very good, as stated by Markus Böhme, the new elder of the Lotsenbruderschaft NOK II.
The strike affects not only the Kiel Canal but also the ports of Rendsburg and Brunsbüttel. In Brunsbüttel, industrial sectors could potentially be paralyzed due to the disruption. The feeder lines of container shipping companies lose several days on the trip to the large ports of Hamburg and Bremerhaven, causing additional costs and schedule disruptions in supply chains.
The Kiel Canal is currently in its biggest crisis, with traffic numbers having been in free fall since last summer. The reduction in ship speed from 15 to 12 kilometers per hour, construction sites, and the impending closure of a lock chamber in Brunsbüttel in May further reduce the attractiveness of the Kiel Canal.
However, the inner and northern harbors in Kiel are not expected to be affected by the strike, as the locks in Holtenau remain staffed and are not reliant on the traffic control center in Brunsbüttel. Vessels for the construction sites on the Kiel Canal and those for the oil terminal and grain silo in Kiel can continue to enter and exit the locks during the strike.
Knudsen, a shipbroker, states that these factors lead to enormous cost increases for shipping. The first quarter of 2025 could see another downturn due to the labor dispute. The traffic figures for 2024 have not yet been published by the responsible General Directorate of Waterways and Shipping.
The Kiel Canal is considered part of critical infrastructure. As such, any disruption to its operations could have far-reaching consequences, affecting not only the shipping industry but also the broader economy, including industries reliant on timely imports and exports. For precise and up-to-date details about the Verdi strike, its causes, the scale of disruption to the Kiel Canal, and associated economic impacts, consulting current news outlets, official Verdi announcements, or transport authority statements would be necessary.
- The potential disruption to the Kiel Canal, a crucial transportation route for industries and supply chains, could extend beyond the shipping sector, also impacting finance as delays and congestion may cause additional costs and schedule disruptions in supply chains.
- The strike involving Verdi union members at the Kiel Canal traffic control center could have far-reaching consequences, not only affecting the public-transit sector of Brunsbüttel through disruption to the canal but also potentially influencing other industries, such as container shipping companies, due to delays and congestion.
