Europe’s Rhine river barge traffic unaffected by high water levels

LONDON (ICIS)–Water levels in the River Rhine in Germany, a key petrochemicals logistical route, are unusually high for this time of the year but barge navigation is unaffected, a spokesperson for the Rhine River Authority (WSV) said to ICIS.

Florian Krekel added that water levels on the Rhine were “relatively high but far from being extreme.” Krekel said levels would need to rise two more metres to cause the closure of shipping within the Middle-Rhine, the River’s shallowest part.

Krekel said regulations around Rhine shipping are clear about when traffic should be restricted, adding that water levels are still far from that point.

“The Rhine is divided in 15 sections. For each of them, the maximum shipping water level is defined at one given gauging station,” said Krekel.

“For example: the maximum water level for shipping between the kilometres 540 and 566 is set at 640cm [centimetres, or 6.4 metres] in the well-known gauging station of Kaub. With water-levels exceeding this value, shipping is forbidden.”

Kaub is the Rhine’s shallowest part; in periods of low water levels, Kaub would be the first to cause problems for barges navigation.

That gauging station is also near key petrochemicals facilities in Germany (see bottom map), and any disruption to navigation can quickly filter down to logistics, causing higher costs for companies.

Water levels at Kaub on Tuesday stood at 332cm and are forecast to rise by the end of this week to 360cm, according to analysts at Elwis, a consultancy specialised on German waterways.

The WSV spokesperson went on to say that all bridges in the vast waterway offer a minimum height of 9.1 metres above the maximum shipping water level within the fairway.

“Along the Rhine, the height of bridges is only relevant for container-ships. This height would allow for three layers of standard overseas-containers,” he said.

“In times of lower water levels, container-ships carry up to four layers of containers.”