Less per ship, so sail more often
Chip shortages, staff shortages, limited availability of raw materials… car manufacturers are already having a hard time, but in the case of the Ford Fiesta, there is yet another problem. This car can only be transported to Belgium and the Netherlands on the Rhine to a limited extent, due to the low water level.
Ford builds the Fiesta in Cologne. From that location, the cars are transported by inland vessel over the Rhine to seaports in Antwerp and Vlissingen. From there the Fords go around the world, in other ships to countries in and outside Europe. A part will of course remain in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Unfortunately, there has been a hitch, because the low water level in the Rhine it is no longer possible to fully implement this handy logistics plan. When the water level reached one meter, several dozen less cars were put on a ship. Now, at a water depth of 71 centimetres, the ships can only proceed if there are about 30 percent fewer cars on the ships. This brings the total per ship to 150 pieces.
Annoying, but according to Ford, the consequences are manageable. For example, the loss can be absorbed by sailing more often. The Dutch importer cannot say whether and to what extent the problem will affect the delivery of Dutch Fiestas. That turns out to be difficult, because, as mentioned, there are also other aspects that can influence the delivery time. It is clear that the ‘problem’ only concerns the Fiesta.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl