Rhine water rises after rain, shipping problems not yet over

The river Rhine in Germany has ​risen sharply after recent rain, ​the country’s inland navigation agency ‌said on ​Monday, but shipping difficulties were not yet over despite vessels being able to take on more ‌cargo. Rhine water levels hit record lows earlier in August, with industry suffering higher transport costs, logistics bottlenecks and curbed production.

Inland navigation agency WSV said the navigable water gauge at ‌the chokepoint of Kaub near Koblenz was around 72 cm on Monday, ‌up from 60 cm on Friday. The Rhine fell below 10 cm in mid-August, below the previous lowest recorded level of 25 cm in 2018. The river is about 1 ⁠metre deeper ​than the navigable depth. Ships ⁠continue to sail part-loaded although they are able to take on more freight. A navigable ⁠water gauge of about 1.5 metres at Kaub is needed for fully loaded sailings.

Loads ​must be spread across several vessels, increasing costs for industry, while much ⁠freight has also been switched to roads and railways. “Some rain is forecast this week but any ⁠improvement ​will depend on how much actually falls,” one commodity trader said.

The WSV forecasts the river could fall later this week but is expected to ⁠stay well above early-August levels. Germany and other European countries have endured successive heatwaves and ⁠limited rainfall ⁠this summer, pushing down water levels on waterways such as the Rhine, a vital shipping route for grain, minerals, coal and ‌refined oil ‌products.