German court halts plan to deepen Elbe River over rare plant

FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2016 file photo shipping containers are stacked on a ship in the port in Hamburg, Germany. The Federal Statistical Office said Thursday, Felb. 9, 2017 that Europe's biggest economy Germany exported goods worth nearly 1.21 trillion euros ($1.29 trillion) last year, 1.2 percent more than in 2015. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, file) (The Associated Press)

BERLIN – Germany's top administrative court has ordered plans to deepen the Elbe River be revised because of potential risks to a rare aquatic plant.

The ruling sent shares in logistics company HHLA, which operates container terminals at the Port of Hamburg, tumbling more than 11 percent Thursday.

The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig said current plans don't sufficiently take into account the impact that increased salt content from the North Sea could have on the Schierlings water fennel that's found only in the Elbe. It also found fault with measures to preserve nature reserves further upriver.

Shipping companies want the Elbe to be deepened so large container ships can reach Hamburg at high tide.

The port, Germany's biggest, is located 100 kilometers (62 miles) away from the North Sea.