Water levels on the Rhine and Danube rivers in Germany are still low as the heat wave continues across Europe, hampering the vessel trade, according to media reports.
Freight vessels are not able to be fully loaded as some parts of the Rhine and all of the Danube’s German section have become too shallow.
Last week, Reuters quoted the association of German inland waterways shipping companies BDB as saying “On the Rhine, by far Germany’s most important inland waterway, river vessels can, depending on area, often only transport half of their normal loads, sometimes even less. This demands considerable extra effort by the inland waterways shipping industry. Consignments which could normally be transported with a single sailing, must for example be divided among several vessels.”