Shipping on Rhine river in Germany back to normal after rain raises water level

Arab News

29-07-2025

HAMBURG: Repeated rain in past days has raised water levels on all of the river Rhine in Germany to normal levels allowing cargo vessels to sail with full loads, commodity traders said on Tuesday.
Dry weather and a heatwave in June and July meant the river became too shallow for vessels to sail fully loaded. Ship operators imposed surcharges on freight rates to compensate for vessels sailing partly empty, increasing costs for cargo owners.
Rain in past days means the last northern river sections where shipping was hindered by shallow water, including around Duisburg and Cologne, have been raised to levels allowing full loads.
Rain had raised other sections of the river, including the chokepoint at Kaub, to normal levels over the weekend.
The impact of the heatwave had been stronger than expected as fields were especially dry which drain into smaller streams and rivers feeding into the Rhine.
The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities such as grains, minerals, ores, chemicals, coal and oil products, including heating oil.
German companies faced supply bottlenecks and production problems in summer 2022 after a drought led to unusually low water levels on the river.