Historically low water levels on Germany’s Rhine River are disrupting inland shipping, prompting renewed calls to accelerate a long-delayed project to deepen the Kaub bottleneck.
Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger said the government is pressing ahead with the scheme, which has been designated a project of overriding public interest, although construction is still scheduled for completion by 2033.
Key developments:
- Record-low water levels at Kaub have forced cargo vessels to reduce loads and disrupted supply chains.
- Industries including chemicals, steel and manufacturing face higher transport costs and potential production impacts.
- Several German states have temporarily lifted Sunday lorry driving restrictions to ease freight transport.
- Oxford Economics estimates prolonged drought could reduce Germany’s quarterly economic growth by 0.2 percentage points.
Shipping groups argue faster approval and modernisation of Rhine infrastructure are essential to improve resilience against increasingly frequent periods of low water.
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