Rhine at Record Low, Shipping Halted at Key German Chokepoint

The river Rhine in Germany has dropped to unprecedented lows, effectively halting cargo navigation at a critical chokepoint and disrupting industrial supply chains across the country. The inland navigation agency WSV reported that the navigable water depth at Kaub, near Koblenz, measured just 12 centimetres on Wednesday, surpassing the previous record low of 25 centimetres set in 2018.

This dramatic fall has made the passage impassable for most vessels. According to a commodity trader, ships can no longer travel north or south through Kaub, bringing navigation on that stretch to a standstill. Some vessels have turned back north to find work, while others remain stranded south of the chokepoint.

The low water levels are forcing shippers to spread loads across more vessels to prevent grounding, and those sailings that do continue on northern sections are often running at only 20% capacity. German chemical producers, utilities, steelmakers, and agricultural traders have all reported growing disruptions, warning of higher transport costs, bottlenecks, and reduced output.

In response, the river shipping and logistics operator RheinCargo is arranging additional rail freight to move raw materials. Its associate, HGK, noted that while it normally transports around 24,000 tons of coal and ore daily from Rotterdam to Duisburg, current conditions have cut that to roughly 14,500 tons. To compensate, RheinCargo will run three weekly freight train round trips between Rotterdam and Duisburg until the end of September, each carrying about 2,000 tons of coal for the steelworks.