The Rhine, a lifeline for Germany and large parts of Europe, already has such a low water level at the beginning of this summer that inland waterway traffic is being restricted. The water level at the bottleneck in Kaub/Rhineland-Palatinate at Rhine kilometre 546 was 1.43 metres last week and is expected to fall by a further 16 centimetres this week, according to ELWIS, the electronic waterway information service of the German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV).
Shallow water
This is well below the seasonal norm, although it is a far cry from the low point in August last year, when the water level fell to 30 centimetres and shipping was largely suspended.
Lifeline Rhine
All tankers may only use 60 % of their maximum loading capacity if they want to pass Kaub. This may restrict the supply upriver to Switzerland.
Many millions of tonnes of petroleum products and other vital goods such as gravel, coal and iron ore are transported along the navigable Rhine, which meanders 884 kilometres from Rheinfelden near Basel to the North Sea.
Rising freight rates
The price per tonne for shipping fuels on the Rhine has skyrocketed this year, with the current cost of transport between Karlsruhe (Rhine kilometre 362) and the Netherlands almost twice as high as the five-year average.
Weather outlook
According to the Federal Institute of Hydrology, some more precipitation is expected in the last week of June. Critical water levels are therefore not expected until the end of July at the earliest, as the Rhine usually reaches its lowest level between August and November.
Water shortages due to a lack of rainfall and high temperatures are putting a strain on shipping worldwide. Even if rain is still expected, the forecast for the Rhine at Kaub is as gloomy as for the Panama Canal.
See article from 2 June 2023.
Sources: Bloomberg L.P., WSV
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