Overview
- The German inland navigation agency WSV reported on Wednesday that navigable depth at the Kaub gauging station fell to about 12 centimetres, a level below the 2018 low that now prevents most vessels from passing north to south.
- Shipping groups warned the Kaub chokepoint effectively splits the Rhine into two separate navigable zones, and traders said commercial sailings past Kaub have largely stopped and cargo bookings on southern sections are no longer possible.
- Companies that rely on the Rhine for grains, coal, chemicals and ore are shifting volumes to trucks and trains, with some operators running part-loaded barges and others rerouting by rail, which is adding time and higher freight costs.
- Chemical firm Covestro has declared force majeure on some products and steelmakers, utilities and agricultural traders report transport bottlenecks and curtailed deliveries, while some hydroelectric output has fallen because of low flows.
- Authorities have relaxed truck curbs and waterway agencies are monitoring levels as cruise lines reroute or swap ships, and analysts warn repeated low-water events driven by heat and low rainfall will require costly adaptation of logistics and infrastructure.