Low water levels on the Rhine River are threatening to halt cargo traffic, effectively splitting the critical waterway into two separate zones, according to the federal association of German inland shipping (BDB).

Rhine River Navigation at Risk

BDB managing director Jens Schwanen warned that water levels at Germany’s Kaub gauging station, a major bottleneck for Rhine navigation, are forecast to drop into single digits for the first time due to lack of rainfall.

Commercial shipping will no longer be able to transport goods in the region at such low water levels, Schwanen said. Day trips and cruise shipping will also be impacted.

Shipping will continue between the ports of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Antwerp, as well as the northern part of the German Rhine and the west German canal network. Tributaries such as the Main, Moselle, and Neckar rivers and the Main-Danube Canal will also remain navigable.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.