Shippers prepare for worst as Rhine levels near critical low

Shipping companies have prepared to halt the transport of goods on the Rhine as water levels in Germany’s biggest river neared a critically low point Saturday.

An ongoing drought affecting much of Europe has lowered rivers such as the Rhine, preventing large ships with heavy loads from passing key waypoints and forcing them to use smaller vessels or to split cargoes into multiple shipments.

At one bottleneck, near the town of Kaub on the Middle Rhine, an official gauge measured the water level at 14.6 inches on Saturday afternoon.

Large, heavy ships can’t pass if the water level falls below 15.7 inches.

Although the depth of the Middle Rhine shipping lane in Kaub was still about 59 inches, shipping experts say passage becomes tricky even for light or specially adapted cargo ships if water levels fall below 14 inches at the gauge mark.

A reading below 11.8 inches is considered unpassable.

German shipping authorities are predicting that point could be reached as early as this week, although it is unclear whether water levels will reach the record low of approximately 10 inches measured at the Kaub gauge in October 2018.

Logistics company Contargo said Friday it was preparing to halt shipping on the Upper and Middle Rhine for safety reasons and planned to shift some of its cargo onto trucks.

Road and rail freight capacity is limited.

Companies along the Rhine that rely on ships to receive raw materials and deliver finished goods are expected to face delays and shortages.

Coal- fired power plants and gas stations could see supply shortages, if shipping on the Rhine is halted.

Meteorologists forecast rain in the coming days, although it was unclear whether it would be enough to keep water levels on the Rhine from dropping to a point that affects shipping.