Symbolic imageRhine low water threatens to split Germany's main waterway
Germany's inland shipping association expects the Rhine gauge at Kaub to fall to single digits this week, splitting the waterway. Chemical firms and retailers warn of bottlenecks.
BDB managing director Jens Schwanen told the Rheinische Post on Monday, 10 August, that at such levels neither freight nor cruise vessels could operate there. Traffic continues between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp and North Rhine-Westphalia as far as Cologne, and further south on the Neckar, Moselle and Main. Cologne measured its lowest gauge since records began on Saturday, 8 August, undercutting the 2018 record.
Chemical industry on dry land
BASF, whose main plant lies behind the Kaub bottleneck, moves 40 percent of its transports over the river and reports bottlenecks in individual cases; the 2018 blockage cost it a quarter of a billion euros in profit. Lanxess chief Matthias Zachert said its ships were only 20 to 30 percent full and warned of production stoppages.
No spare capacity on road and rail
The retail federation HDE warned on Sunday that diverting cargo to lorries and rail could create bottlenecks for shops, and urged the economics ministry to permanently allow long lorries; FAZ reports hauliers see no spare capacity.
Switzerland waives import duties
FAZ reports Switzerland has suspended import duties to ease supplies.
Other opinions
Global Times ran only Xinhua photographs of moored ships at Cologne, drought without the economic fallout German outlets report.