The river Rhine in Germany has fallen to new lows due to a continued heatwave, the country’s inland navigation agency said. The navigable water depth at the chokepoint of Kaub near Koblenz was 15 cm, below the previous lowest recorded level of 25 cm in 2018.
Impact on Shipping
Commercial sailings through Kaub have basically stopped, and some vessels south of Kaub face being trapped. Shallow water means cargo vessels are only able to sail 20% loaded on the river, increasing costs for cargo owners.
River shippers warned that low water at Kaub threatened to stop commercial shipping this week. Large volumes of freight are being transferred to road transport, and some German authorities have relaxed weekend bans on truck driving.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
