Shippers warn Rhine could be 'split in two' by low water
Low water levels risk halting cargo traffic on a key stretch of the Rhine this week, effectively splitting the critical waterway into two separate zones, the federal association of German inland shipping (BDB) said.
Low water levels on the Rhine threaten to split the crucial waterway into two separate zones this week, the federal association of German inland shipping warned. The low levels, forecast to plummet to single digits, stem from a lack of rainfall. Kaub, a major bottleneck for Rhine navigation and a key section of the Middle Rhine, lies south of Koblenz.
Commercial shipping will no longer be able to transport goods at these levels, affecting day trips and cruises. The Rhine, once navigable from Amsterdam to Antwerp and through German inland waterways, will be divided by the shallowest stretch at Kaub. Despite this, shipping will continue between northern German ports and the Main, Moselle, and Neckar rivers, as well as the Main-Danube Canal.
German states North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland have eased trucking restrictions to mitigate transport bottlenecks caused by the low water levels. The situation coincides with record-breaking heatwaves across Europe this summer, causing severe droughts.
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