An investigation by Al Jazeera has found that falling water levels on the Rhine are forcing cargo ships to carry a fraction of their usual load, driving up costs and threatening industrial production.
The Rhine River, one of Europe’s most important waterways, is experiencing critically low water levels due to a combination of climate change, melting glacier loss, and extreme heat. In some places, the river is less than two meters deep—far below the usual five to seven meters expected at this time of year.
The impact on shipping has been severe. A typical cargo barge that would normally carry 5,600 tons of iron ore is now limited to just 2,100 tons. As one captain explained, it now takes two and a half ships to transport the same amount of cargo. Transportation costs have doubled as a result.
German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp has suspended its own barges due to the conditions, relying instead on other shippers to deliver smaller loads to its factories. The situation is particularly acute near the German-Dutch border, where water flow has dropped from over 2,000 cubic meters per second to less than 700.
Meteorologists point to a lack of melting glacial water from the Alps and increasingly hot weather driven by global warming. Germany has lost an estimated 60 billion cubic meters of water over the past 25 years, with low levels now recorded in rivers, lakes, and groundwater across the country.
In response, Germany has launched a nationwide information system to better manage dwindling water resources. The Netherlands has banned river water use for farmland in certain areas, while Germans are being asked to conserve water. Although some rain is forecast, shippers expect conditions to remain difficult for weeks to come.
