Rhine may be partly unnavigable in Germany, group warns

The Rhine may soon become partly unnavigable in Germany as low rainfall and high summer temperatures push water levels lower, Germany's BDB inland shipping association warned on Monday.

The group said the level at Kaub, a key reference point for vessels on the river, is expected to fall further this week. BDB managing director Jens Schwanen told Rheinische Post that, at such low levels, commercial shipping would no longer be able to transport goods in the region.

"In principle, this means the Rhine is no longer continuously navigable and thus divided in two," Schwanen said. He said shipping would still be possible in the Netherlands, in Germany up to around Cologne and farther south on several tributaries, but much of the Rhine in Germany would be too shallow for vessels to pass.

Germany's WSV waterways agency told AFP that water levels are expected to keep falling slightly in the coming days. It said there are no shipping bans and captains must decide how to adjust cargoes to the low water.

Cargo ships have continued to use the Rhine through Germany's industrial heartland, but with reduced loads and higher costs. Water levels have been at record lows since the end of July as Germany and other parts of Europe have faced heatwaves.

The Rhine is a major economic route, linking industrial sites and ports in Germany with ports in the Netherlands. ING economist Rico Luman has said the river handles around 80 percent of Germany's inland waterway traffic in normal times, with about 285 million tonnes of goods moving on it each year.

Earlier disruption had already pushed companies to adapt. Duisburg port reported that vessel loading capacity had fallen to about one-third of normal levels. Some 110-metre tanker barges in the oil sector were limited to loads of 300 to 400 tonnes, and petroleum-product shipping rates between Karlsruhe and the Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp ports reached 200 euros per tonne this month.

Thyssenkrupp and BASF have used shallow-draft ships to keep moving raw materials and finished products. Covestro said shipping problems were affecting supply and production at some sites, while Shell said it was using more storage and trying to divert some shipments to rail, road or pipelines.

A transport ministry spokesman said the government was watching closely to see whether the BDB warning materialises. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government is weighing help for companies that move goods on the river, including in the chemical and oil sectors, and has agreed with some states to temporarily lift a ban on trucks driving on Sundays and public holidays.