Low water levels on Rhine and Danube disrupt German shipping

Extreme low water levels on major German waterways, including the Rhine and Danube, are disrupting inland shipping and logistics due to drought conditions linked to climate change. To mitigate the impact on goods transport, Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger has announced support measures for shifting cargo from water to land routes.

Government officials are discussing the temporary suspension of Sunday and holiday driving bans to facilitate road transport. While several states including Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Bremen, and Schleswig-Holstein support these measures, a unanimous agreement across all federal states has not been reached. Additionally, authorities are examining the possibility of temporary exemptions for heavy loads up to 44 tons on trucks.

In response to the logistics crisis, DB Cargo reported identifying 900 additional rail wagons, with approximately 300 expected to be available within the next one to three weeks. Meanwhile, environmental concerns are rising as high temperatures and low precipitation levels threaten aquatic ecosystems. In the Hannover region, fish die-offs have been observed in bodies of water like Steinhuder Meer and Maschsee, prompting local measures such as riparian shading and natural waterway development to protect biodiversity.