The water level in the Rhine River, one of Germany’s most important water transport arteries near the city of Cologne, has dropped to a historic minimum.
Sea-news.az reports that the water level at measurement stations was recorded at 67 centimeters. This indicator is 2 centimeters lower than the previous anti-record recorded on October 23, 2018. A similar critical situation is observed in other sections of the river passing through the country. Although a slight increase in the water level is expected in some directions during the day, the overall navigation conditions remain complex.
The sharp drop in the water level has made full-capacity navigation impossible for river and sea-river type cargo ships. Due to the existing risks, cargo carriers are forced to distribute products among several smaller vessels. This sharply increases logistic costs, creating an additional economic burden on the regional water transport sector and Europe’s cargo transportation chain as a whole.
