Germany news: Rhine levels could cause production cuts
08/11/2026 August 11, 2026 Low water in Rhine will cause production cuts — IW research institute Cargo ships on the Rhine are carrying only around
08/11/2026 August 11, 2026 Low water in Rhine will cause production cuts — IW research institute Cargo ships on the Rhine are carrying only around a fifth of their normal loads Image: Oliver Berg/dpa/picture alliance The reduction in cargo being shipped via the Rhine because of low water levels will lead companies to cut production, a leading economic research institute reports. "Transport routes south of Kaub are now threatening to become completely severed, meaning the Rhine is cut in two," Thomas Puls, the transport expert from the German Economic Institute (IW) told the daily Rheinische Post.
"Because neither road nor rail are able to take the goods needed, the most likely reaction of primary industries will be to reduce production," he said. This assessment appeared to be confirmed by a spokesman for the chemical company Covestro, who told the paper that the shortfalls in supply caused by the disruption to Rhine shipping was already affecting production. The spokesman said that the current lifting of a ban on trucks using the motorway on Sundays would be of only temporary benefit.
"Ship transport via the Rhine can barely be compensated on the road, as a cargo vessel that can carry 1,500 tons is the equivalent of around 60 trucks," he said. "So ship transport cannot be completely shifted
to roads." The record low water levels on the Rhine caused by a prolonged shortage of rainfall in Germany mean that ships are currently able to carry only around a fifth of the load they usually transport.
The BriefWire