Rain in southern Germany is slowly raising water levels on the Rhine after a record low, but normal conditions for inland shipping are not expected before late September or early October.
Ferry services are being resumed on several stretches of the river around this time. Even so, water levels remain well below average and are still too low for fully loaded cargo vessels.
According to Duisburg inland port, Germany’s largest, freight ships are currently carrying only about 20 per cent of their usual loads because of the low water. Conditions are expected to improve slightly, but it could still take weeks before shipping returns to normal.
At Kaub, the Rhine’s shallowest point, the water level stood at 46 centimetres on Friday. That is far below the 77-centimetre level experts use as a guideline for navigation.
In Duisburg, the Rhine measured 1.49 metres on Friday afternoon. That remained below the previous record low of 1.53 metres set in 2018.
