Rhine water level close to record lows, cargo vessels keep sailing
The navigable depth at Kaub is forecast to drop to about 20 cm, and tanker barge rates have risen to around €125 a ton, traders said.
- Falling water levels on the Rhine in Germany are restricting shipping traffic, particularly at the Kaub chokepoint near Karlsruhe, where inland navigation agency WSV forecasts depths will drop from about 35 cm on Monday to around 20 cm on Friday.
- Recent rainfall in southern Germany fell short of expectations, according to WSV, causing the Rhine to recede further as dryness persists throughout the coming days.
- Cargo vessels are sailing at only 15% to 20% capacity, while tanker barge costs from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe have surged to around $136.8 per ton from around $45 at the end of June.
- German industry faces supply bottlenecks and production problems as shipping constraints force companies to spread cargo across multiple partially loaded vessels, creating unwelcome extra expenses for the Rhine-dependent sector currently showing signs of recovery.
- Global warming leads to increasingly frequent low water levels on the Rhine, prompting shipping company Stolt Tankers to build specialized vessels capable of navigating shallow conditions and adapt to climate-driven constraints.
67 Articles
67 Articles
Berliner Morgenpost
Low water slows down shipping. The Federal Government's Maritime Coordinator calls for a faster expansion of waterways.
The Rhine level at Kaub, which is important for shipping, is approaching its record low.
Alarm over climate-linked low level of German waterways
As with other parts of Europe, Germany has experienced low rainfall coupled with soaring summer temperatures which scientists have attributed to human-caused climate change. The WSV agency responsible for managing German waterways told AFP that early on Friday one stretch of the Rhine, a major artery for commercial shipping, near the town of Kaub briefly dropped to the record low previously recorded in 2018. While the level there subsequently ro…
The Attersee (Upper Austria) continues to lose water – with noticeable consequences. Because of the historically low level, excursion ships can no longer drive to two docks. The operators speak of a situation that they have never experienced. The banks become wider, stones and sandbanks come to light – and even the shipping industry gets to feel the consequences of the extraordinary drought this year. The water level of the Attersee has fallen t…
Low water levels make it difficult to transport goods by ship and increase transport costs. Evonik, a chemical company, is therefore testing alternative transport routes.
The Rhine River in Germany is a dramatic sight: due to persistent heat and drought, the river's water level has dropped to extremely low levels.
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