Small barges able to load at 25% on Rhine as water levels expected to rise slightly

MADRID (ICIS)–Small barges can still load at 25% of their capacity on the River Rhine’s Kaub gauge measuring point, the shallowest part on the key waterway, the Rhine Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA Rhein) said to ICIS on Tuesday.

Water levels at Kaub (see bottom map) stood on Tuesday at 32cm; in 2018, when another drought hit the Rhine, water levels stood as low as 25cm.

“Today [Tuesday], water levels in Kaub are at about 32cm. This corresponds to a water depth at Kaub of 1.44 m, which is available for navigation,” said a WSA spokesperson.

“Smaller barges (maximum capacity of 2,100 tonnes) might be able to load about 25%.”

According to Elwis, a consultancy that specialises in German waterways, water levels could rise slightly in coming days as some rain is forecast in central Europe.

Source: Elwis

–

Front page picture: Container ships passes Pfalzgrafenstein castle in the middle of the River Rhine in Kaub, Germany, on 12 August
Source: Michael Probst/AP/Shutterstock 

Additional reporting by Nazif Nazmul