Problems of the Odra navigation in the 1930s and during World War II

The Odra navigation faced several problems, such as the state of waterways, competition between river carriers and the railway and, during the war, maximum use of its shipping capabilities. The waterways were improved by river regulation and building reservoirs. Competition was limited in the early 1930s by creating small shipowners’ unions (who usually also worked as skippers on their own boats) and regulating freight rates. Nazi authorities regulated navigation by creating obligatory professional associations. During the war the maximum use of inland shipping was done through tight control pf tonnage, transferring some freights from the railway to the river transport and freezing freight rates. However, obsolete fleet, decreasing crew numbers and low freight rates caused the share of the Odra navigation in overall transport to fall.