Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 9, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleLow water levels on the Rhine in Germany hinder shipping, affecting commodity transport and increasing costs due to freight surcharges.
HAMBURG (Reuters) -Low water levels following a drought and heatwave in western Europe continue to hinder shipping through the Rhine river in Germany, commodity traders said on Wednesday, with rain in past days generating only a moderate rise in water levels.
Low water is hampering shipping on all the river south of Duisburg and Cologne, including the chokepoint of Kaub. Vessels are generally only able to sail about half full, although the volumes they can load have risen slightly, traders said.
But cargo is still being delivered, with loads being carried by several vessels instead of one, 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.
Only moderate rainfall is forecast in the coming days in river catchment areas, so no major improvement is expected, 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 Jan Harvey)
Low water levels following a drought and heatwave are hindering shipping through the Rhine river in Germany.
Vessels are generally only able to sail about half full, leading to increased freight rates due to surcharges imposed by operators.
The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities such as grains, minerals, ores, coal, and oil products.
Only moderate rainfall is forecast in the coming days, so no major improvement in water levels is expected.
German companies faced supply bottlenecks and production problems due to unusually low water levels on the Rhine caused by drought and heatwave.
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