The baking heat and drought in Germany have been the culprit for the recent low water levels on the Rhine river. According to Contargo, a barge operator, the water level on the Gauge of Kuab has decreased to 47cm, hitting a four-year low.
The baking heat and drought in Germany have been the culprit for the recent low water levels on the Rhine river. According to Contargo, a barge operator, the water level on the Gauge of Kuab has decreased to 47cm, hitting a four-year low.
Flowing through the hinterlands of Germany, the Rhine river is viewed as a major route for a wide array of products. All the Germany's rivers can handle nearly 200 million tons of container capacity, and a majority of it is shipped on the Rhine.
When water levels fall, shipping vessels have to divert to a new sailing strategy: sail with reduced loads. Only in this way can they escape being aground. As a result, the speed with which goods are transported plunges drastically. Days of low water levels mean that the Rhine is on the verge of being shut for cargo. Supply chains in Germany have been massively disturbed because there are so many businesses counting on the Rhine river.
It is expected that water levels will continue to fall for the next week. And the Rhine river will shut down the barge traffic. Until this day, barges have been moving on the Rhine at 20%-30% of the original capacity. Shipments carried by barge have been redirected to rail. But when the rail capacity turns full, trucking may be the last option left.
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