Rhine water level close to record lows, cargo vessels keep sailing

Water levels on the Rhine river in Germany have again fallen in a heatwave and dry weather and are approaching record ​lows, the country’s inland navigation agency said on Thursday, but freight ‌vessel operators said they are continuing sailings.

Inland navigation agency WSV said the navigable water depth at the chokepoint of Kaub near Koblenz was 29 cm (11.4 inches) on ​Thursday, approaching the previous record low of 25 cm in 2018. ​

The depth at Kaub could touch 26 cm between Thursday ⁠and Monday but is expected to hold above the record low, the ​agency forecast.

Vessels generally need a navigable depth of 1.5 metres at Kaub ​to sail fully loaded. The river is deeper than the navigable depth.

Shallow water means cargo vessels are often only able to sail partly loaded on the river, with extra ​surcharges increasing costs for cargo owners.

Loads must be spread among ​several vessels sailing part loaded, also increasing costs and creating an unwelcome extra expense for German ‌industry ⁠currently showing signs of recovery.

Cargo ships continue to sail but are currently only around 20% full, said Roberto Spranzi, director of the German DTG shipping cooperative which operates about 100 inland waterways freight vessels.

This means four ​to five times as ​many ships ⁠are currently needed to transport usual cargo volumes, he said.

The cost of tanker barge transport from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe, ​Germany, rose to around €145-€150 ($165.84-$171.56) a ton on Thursday from €45 ​at the ⁠end of June, commodity traders said.

The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities such as grains, minerals, ores, coal and oil products, including petrol.

German ⁠companies ​faced supply bottlenecks and production problems in summer ​2022 after a drought and heatwave led to unusually low Rhine water levels.

-Reuters