'We just need rain': Germany's Rhine river hits new low

Parts of Germany's Rhine are now unnavigable for most shipping, an industry group warned Tuesday, after the river dropped to an all-time record low following months of little rainfall and hot weather.

The waterway, which flows through the industrial heartland of Germany, has been at record lows since late July when Europe was struggling through a series of heatwaves.

It has already led to some restrictions on commercial shipping, affecting industries from chemicals to steel-making, and heaping extra pressure on Europe's long-stagnant top economy.

But continued dry weather this week pushed water levels at Kaub on the Rhine -- a reference point for vessels -- even further downwards and made the area unpassable for laden cargo vessels.

"Most German ship captains say, that's too shallow, I'm not sailing there anymore," Matthias Roeser, from the German Inland Shipping Association, told AFP.

The navigable depth of the river around Kaub was just over a metre Tuesday. Only specially adapted vessels, or those carrying almost no cargo, can navigate such low waters.

This means the Rhine has effectively been split into two sections, Thomas Puls, a transport expert from the IW Economic Institute in Cologne told AFP.

The upper and middle sections of the river in Germany are cut off from major northern ports such as Duisburg in Germany and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

"The problem here is simply that it has been raining far, far, far too little for months," Puls told AFP. "We just need rain -- nothing else helps".

Companies including steel giant Thyssenkrupp and chemical maker BASF have already resorted to using specially adapted vessels in recent weeks to transport products.

Only around five percent of goods are transported by river in Germany.

But the Rhine plays an outsized role, carrying around two-thirds of Germany's inland waterway freight, said Puls.

The government last month lifted a ban on trucks driving on Sundays and public holidays to help companies impacted by the problems. This measure was reportedly extended Tuesday.

But Puls said switching goods transport from shipping to trucks is difficult, as many trucks are typically required to carry the cargo of a single commercial vessel.

Ships on the Rhine carry large cargoes of goods such as petroleum products.

Puls said climate change meant the frequency of such low water events would increase.

He urged authorities to take measures, such using more shallow-draught ships adapted for low waters, to "strengthen resilience."

sr/jsk/cw

ThyssenKrupp AG

BASF