The Rhine is home to dozens of water sports clubs. Their facilities are located in sheltered harbours, on the riverbank or in the oxbow lakes. In many places, water levels are now so low that the access channels are no longer navigable or the jetties are even dry. Overall, just under half of the gauges along the Rhine are currently reporting extremely low water levels.
The economy has been particularly hard hit
However, the record-low water levels are having an even more severe impact on commercial shipping on Europe’s most important inland waterway for freight. Instead of sailing fully laden with up to 3,000 tonnes of cargo, the vessels are currently only able to carry significantly less and, in some cases, are utilising barely a quarter of their capacity in order to keep draught to a minimum.
Another setback for growth
The economic damage is already immense: Various organisations, such as the German Economic Institute and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, estimate the losses at between 0.1 and 0.4 per cent lower growth in gross domestic product – partly because there is no equivalent alternative to waterborne transport. According to experts, this decline would be a significant blow to the economy, given the already difficult overall economic situation.
Crisis meeting in Bonn
For this reason, the new Federal Minister of Transport, Steffen Bilger (CDU), has called a crisis meeting today. He is meeting today in Bonn with representatives of the shipping and port industries to discuss the current situation – particularly in view of the possibility of further hot weeks ahead with little rainfall.
However, even though the “Action Plan for Low Water Levels on the Rhine” should be accelerated or adjusted, but quick solutions are unlikely. At the same time, the transport ministers of the federal states are also discussing the low water levels at a virtual conference.
Christian Tiedt
Editor Travel
