By Paul Gordon (Bloomberg) -- Sinking water levels on Germany’s industrial rivers probably shaved at least 0.7 percentage point off economic growth last year, adding to a series of shocks that almost tipped the nation into a recession. JPMorgan economist Greg Fuzesi estimated the impact of the high temperatures and low rainfall that dried up waterways -- most notably the … [Read more...]
Europe’s Most Important River Is Running Dry as Glaciers Shrink
By William Wilkes, Vanessa Dezem and Brian Parkin (Bloomberg) -- Kevin Kilps’s car ferry churns the waters of Germany’s Rhine river as he steers toward the bank opposite Kaub, a scenic village just south of the rocky outcropping named after the legendary siren Lorelei. It’s typically a busy stretch of waterway. On a normal day, the commuter ferry vies for space with cargo … [Read more...]
Rhine River Shipping Returns to Normal as Water Levels Rise
HAMBURG, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Freight shipping on the river Rhine in Germany has returned to normal after heavy rain in the past week raised water levels, traders said on Monday. Water levels on the Rhine had been low for around six months after a hot dry summer and a dry autumn, forcing vessels to sail only partly loaded and increasing the cost of commodity … [Read more...]
Low Water on Rhine River Chokes Off Fuel Flows to Inland Europe
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...]