Germany's largest steelmaker declares force majeure due to floods
A catastrophic flood in the Rhine basin in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia on July 14 caused significant damage to the local metallurgical industry.
First of all, the transport connection has not yet been fully restored. Because of the flood, roads and railways have been damaged, berths have been flooded on a number of tributaries of the Rhine, which makes it difficult to deliver raw materials by river barges.
ThyssenKrupp Corporation, the largest steel producer in Germany, also declared force majeure on July 16, announcing that due to flooding and damage to railways and roads, it could not supply semi-finished products to some enterprises and was forced to severely limit the output of finished products. p>
Other local manufacturers and distributors have not reported such serious problems. However, rebuilding the transportation network in the affected areas can take a long time.
This is the second natural disaster to hit the Ruhr this year. In February, the same areas suffered from a severe blizzard, which also ended in flooding.