By Bill Lehane (Bloomberg) -- The Rhine River’s water level has slumped to the lowest for the time of year in more than a decade, choking off fuel supplies to key European markets and serving as a reminder that one of the continent’s vital industrial waterways could be susceptible to climate change. The level at Kaub, Germany -- a bottleneck point -- is now at its lowest … [Read more...]
Long Drought Puts Pressure on Dutch Inland Shipping Sector
By Bart H. Meijer AMSTERDAM, July 24 (Reuters) - The longest drought in decades is drying out rivers in the usually wet Netherlands, hitting cargo traffic and threatening a shortage of bulk supplies ranging from hops for beer brewers to cement for the construction sector. The summer of 2018 looks set to overtake 1976 as the driest one on record in the Netherlands, with … [Read more...]
Traders Rush to Move Diesel Up Rhine as Water Level Ebbs
By Bill Lehane (Bloomberg) -- Traders are racing to move barges of diesel and gasoil up the Rhine River, one of Europe’s key shipping arteries, as declining water levels caused by a dry spell impede transport. Cargoes of the fuels moving inland from the river’s mouth in the Netherlands have jumped by 50 percent since May, according to estimates from researcher PJK … [Read more...]
Rhine Reopens To River Shipping After Flood
HAMBURG (Reuters) - Germany’s Rhine river was reopened to shipping today after waters fell, following its closure for the past week as rain and melting snow raised water levels, authorities said. High water mostly peaked in north Germany over the weekend, but levels have fallen substantially allowing vessel sailings on the entire stretch, the river flood monitoring agency … [Read more...]
Low Water Hinders Shipping Rhine and Danube Rivers in Germany
HAMBURG, April 18 (Reuters) - Water levels on the Rhine and Danube in Germany remain low despite recent rain and freight vessels cannot sail fully loaded on the German sections of the rivers, traders said on Tuesday. The Rhine is too shallow for normal sailings south of Duisburg and Cologne to Switzerland, traders said. Weekend rain had helped raise both rivers but water … [Read more...]