Water levels on Germany’s river Rhine have risen sharply after recent rainfall, allowing vessels to carry more freight, the country’s inland navigation agency WSV said Monday. Shallow-water problems persist, however, and ships are still sailing only partly loaded.

WSV reported the navigable gauge at the Kaub chokepoint near Koblenz stood at roughly 60 cm on Monday, up from about 5 cm the previous week – below the prior record low of 25 cm set in 2018. The gauge normally needed at Kaub to fully load vessels is about 1.50 meters. Many ships had halted transits past Kaub in mid-August; some are now resuming with reduced loads of 700 to 800 metric tons depending on vessel type and commodity.

Northern sections of the river continue to see cargo spread across several part-loaded vessels, raising costs for industry, with much freight shifted to land transport. Germany has faced successive heatwaves with little rainfall this summer, cutting levels on the Rhine – a key route for grains, minerals, coal and refined oil products. More rain is forecast around the river this week.

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