European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 22, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse A photo chem Caf and pharmaceutical companies increasingly use the Rhino As a source of water for processing. Survive i Franz Hanoi is a shipping company thai has been 1 doing business since the 18th Century in the German Lawn of Duisburg which sits Al the Point whore the Rhine swallows the smaller Ruhr River Haniel s real Gray buildings grouped around a cobbled courtyard reflect its Prosperity. As bulk cargoes like ores declined Haniel bought equipment needed to handle cargo containers and Roll on Roll Oft ships which carry the trailers of Iraco trailer trucks Haniel has managed to adapt to the new acts of ills on the Rhine bul the combination of shrinking tonnage and automation has put a lot of people out of work. The decline is reflected in cities like Duisburg which with its Maze of docks and arching cranes is Europe s largest Inland port last year through november 16.8 million ions of freight and bulk goods passed through Duisburg. Down. From nearly 26 million tons in the comparable period in 1978. Today roughly 30,000 people Are employed in i Europe s Inland shipping Industry most of them along the Rhine about is percent fewer than five years ago. \ across the Street from Haniel. Signs of the changes i in the shipping business Are evident. The Little inns where Rhine Barge men and their families used to eat and spend the night while their ships Lay moored unlit morning Are no private Homes restaurants have closed and been converted into apartments unemployment is High Young people go elsewhere to seek said hoist Krieger an executive of Franz Haniel. To prevent a rash of bankruptcies. The Central commission for Rhine navigation in Strasbourg France has sought to scrap excess shipping capacity. Paying shippers Loake older ships out of service. Shrinking the Industry in an orderly manner might make sense economically bul May not be acceptable socially. In the Netherlands Tor example the government is scrapping 500.000 tons of obsolete Lonnale bul that program will eventually destroy the i traditional Way of Lite of the Barge men part Mere. The parti Kuchre bid Lor cargoes Al exchanges in cities such As Rotterdam and then haul them up the canals and Waterways that surround the Rhine. Most come from families Hal have been doing this Lor cell grids and they live most of the year on their ships with their families. They lend to have the least efficient ships however and have gotten by Only with the help of government subsidies. The government is now off firing them pensions and Lump sum pay monks to persuade them to leave the business. The growth of the chemical and pharmaceutical companies poses a different threat to Rhine life six of Europe s largest chemical companies have plants on he Banks of the Rhine including Ciba Geigey in Switzerland and Bayer and base in Germany. They use the Rhine both As a dump for waste water and a source for clean water to use for Cooling and As an ingredient base Lor example operates an immense comple of 330 factories and plants along the River Al Ludwigshafen employing 53.000 people is Walor needs Are enormous. Delmar Kokoll. The Engineer in charge of its water supplies said that the company s pumping stations suck in Between 750 million and 935 million Gallons of water a Day. As the water in the Rhine became polluted base has had to turn increasingly to Well water it now uses 10 different grades of Waler from unfiltered Nevi Waler for Coaling to critically pure Well Waters pumped up from Depths of Coo feel Lor sensitive production. Base has Lakin several Steps to protect the River that it depends on so heavily in 1970, a lire on a chemical Barge not earned by the company nearly destroyed huge amounts of chemical feedstock alarmed by Tho Accident oaf built a special Harbor Wilh Remote controlled Hio fico Ling equipment and blood sales that could close in Case of dangerous spills in 1974 it comple cd a Plant capable of realm re nearly 200 million Gallons Hosl of Tho Wal i base uses is for Cooling and is returned unreal of to Iho rower Hoschst the world s largest chemical concern re will a similar facility at ils factory at the Confluence of the Rhine and Mam Rivers and Bayer Buill a croat Mon plan at la Markusen nuclear Power planar. Lako a Lott on the Rhine As Woll seven now stand on the River s stoics with two More planned in Switzerland and Germany nuclear plans use Waler of Cooling Licen to Alert europeans to the Burden the River bears. Anci sound the claim that one of Europe s main hot Linch is itself badly in need of help the stars and stripes Page 15
