Rhine River in Germany Reaches Critical Navigability Levels

Water levels in the Rhine River in Germany have dropped again due to a heatwave and dry weather, approaching historic lows, as reported by the country's inland navigation agency, WSV, although cargo ship operators stated that they are continuing their journeys.

The agency indicated that the navigable depth in the Kaub strait, near Koblenz, was 29 centimeters, approaching the previous historic low of 25 centimeters recorded in 2018.

The agency predicted that the depth in Kaub could reach 26 centimeters between Thursday, July 30, and Monday, August 3, but is expected to remain above the historic low.

In Kaub, vessels generally need a navigable depth of 1.5 meters to transit at full load. The river is deeper than the navigable depth. Low water levels often force ships to travel only partially loaded down the river, which leads to surcharges that increase costs for cargo owners. This reason forces shipments to be distributed among several vessels.

Roberto Spranzi, director of the German shipping cooperative DTG, stated that cargo ships are still sailing, but are currently only about 20% occupied. According to Spranzi, this means that currently four to five times more vessels are needed to transport the usual volumes.

In this scenario, the cost of transport by tanker barges from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe, Germany, increased on Thursday, July 30, to around 145-150 euros (165.84-171.56 dollars) per ton, compared to 45 euros at the end of June, commodity operators reported.