The Rhine, which is one of the most important logistics routes in Europe, could become impassable in the foreseeable future due to the severe drought, reports Grain Central.
As already mentioned, the lowest water level in the Rhine is usually recorded in autumn, but this year it has already actively decreased in summer due to the severe drought, which has led to the temporary suspension of navigation in some regions. The German federal authority for waterways and shipping assumes that the water level along the entire length of the waterway will drop even further this week - by 10 to 15 centimeters, so that shipping on the barges will continue to be restricted.
The problem with the water level is now critical because during this time of the year agricultural crops are actively transported to the North Sea ports. At the same time, the switch to the transport of Grains on land transport expensive and inefficient. So a barge can usually hold about 1000 Tonnen Wheat transport (fully loaded), which is about 40 truck flights.
It is also noted that the problem with water levels is also observed on the Danube, where it has also fallen to critically low levels in the last two weeks. This not only threatens agricultural production in the Danube countries, but also poses problems with the transport of Grains and vegetable oils from the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Ismail to the Romanian port of Konstanz.