Stakes are high on the Rhine
Low water levels of the Rhine and many other rivers currently present a risk for inland waterway freight transport and make it even more difficult to maintain Europe's supply chains.
As Germany’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) has now reported, a total of 82.4 million t of goods were transported on German inland waterways from January to May 2022. The Rhine, Europe's most important inland waterway for accounted for the lion share (86.3 % or 71.1 million t) of this volume.
A good 18,000 cargo ships with around 20.6 million t of goods passed through the bottlenecks in the Middle Rhine Valley between January and May of 2022. The water level in Kaub, which is now at a critical mark, is an important indicator of the fairway depth in the Rhine. Recent rainfalls have so far not changed the overall situation. (sh)