Rhine shipping disrupted as river reaches record-low levels

Shipping operations have been halted on parts of Germany’s Rhine as record-low water levels caused by prolonged heat and a lack of rainfall make it increasingly difficult for cargo vessels to navigate the key European trade route.

The inland navigation agency WSV said the water gauge at Kaub, near Koblenz, dropped to an unprecedented 15 centimetres (5.9 inches) on August 11. The reading indicates a river depth of around 115 centimetres at its deepest point in the area, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

According to a commodity trader, it was “no longer to book cargo shipments on the Rhine past Kaub”.

“Most sailings there have stopped,” he noted

However, shipping activity on northern sections of the Rhine was continuing.

Germany and much of Europe have experienced repeated heatwaves and an extended period of little significant rainfall this summer, causing water levels to fall sharply in several rivers.

The unusually low levels are also creating economic difficulties for businesses that depend on river transport, with some companies facing shortages of goods normally delivered by water.

Vessels that remain in operation are being forced to carry substantially smaller loads, while transport costs have risen.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov