After rain in the past week, water levels have risen on the Rhine in Germany but for cargo vessels to sail fully loaded on northern sections of the river, they are still too shallow.
After dry weather in late May, the water levels on the river had fallen below normal. Water levels have been raised by heavy rain in the past week. In southern sections, the water level has returned to normal. The Rhine for normal sailings is still too shallow in northern sections between Kaub, Cologne and Duisburg.
Shallow water means surcharges on freight rates imposed by vessel operators, increasing costs for cargo owners. More rain is forecast which could bring improvements this week.
For commodities including minerals, grains, coal and oil products, the Rhine is an important shipping route. After a drought and heatwave led to unusually low water levels on the Rhine in 2018, German companies faced supply bottlenecks and production problems.
