Continued dry weather has driven Rhine water levels lower, boosting industrial
shipping costs, Germany’s Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV)
said. The navigation depth at the Kaub bottleneck near Koblenz was about 15 cm
on Monday, down from 26 cm on Friday, forcing vessels to operate with reduced
loads. As load factors fell, tanker freight from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe rose to
about €185–190/t on Monday, versus roughly €180/t last week. WSV expects no
material improvement in the coming week, though light rain could keep water
levels near current readings. The Rhine is a key route for grains,
minerals/ores, coal and oil products.
