Finance
Low water hinders Rhine river shipping in Germany despite rain
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 17, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 17, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Low water levels on the Rhine river in Germany are disrupting shipping, with vessels sailing half full despite recent rain. This increases costs due to freight surcharges.
HAMBURG (Reuters) -Low water levels following dry weather continue to hamper Rhine river cargo shipping in Germany, with rain in past days causing only a moderate rise in water levels, commodity traders said on Thursday.
Low water is hampering shipping on all the river south of Duisburg and Cologne, including the chokepoint of Kaub.
Cargo vessels are generally only able to sail about half full. But freight is still being delivered, with loads being carried by several vessels instead of one, traders said.
The volumes vessels can load have risen slightly, traders said.
Shallow water means vessel operators impose surcharges on freight rates to compensate for vessels not sailing fully loaded, increasing costs for cargo owners.
Some rain is forecast in river catchment areas in the next week, which could at least prevent a further fall in water levels, traders said.
The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities such as grains, minerals, ores, coal and oil products, including heating oil.
German companies faced supply bottlenecks and production problems in summer 2022 after a drought and heat wave led to unusually low water levels on the Rhine.
(Reporting by Michael Hogan. Editing by Mark Potter)
Low water levels are forcing cargo vessels to sail about half full, leading to increased freight rates as vessel operators impose surcharges.
The Rhine is a crucial shipping route for commodities such as grains, minerals, ores, coal, and oil products, including heating oil.
In summer 2022, German companies faced supply bottlenecks and production problems due to unusually low water levels on the Rhine caused by a drought and heat wave.
Some rain is forecast in the river catchment areas in the next week, which could help prevent a further decline in water levels.
Traders report that while the volumes vessels can load have risen slightly, the overall situation remains challenging due to low water levels.
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