# European river drought and economic disruption > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/european-river-drought-and-economic-disruption > Updated: 2026-08-12T15:30:11.000Z. Sources: 128. Developments: 3. Extreme drought and heatwaves have caused record-low water levels across major European rivers, including the Rhine, Danube, Thames, Po, and Rhône. Data from the Copernicus climate monitoring service indicates that approximately 85% of the Rhine and two-thirds of the Danube recorded their lowest July discharge levels since 1992. In England, 95% of monitored Thames sections reached record lows, while Italy’s Po river experienced a 40% reduction in flow. In the Rhine, water levels at the critical Kaub chokepoint have reached unprecedented lows. Navigable water depth has dropped to as low as 11 cm, effectively halting north-south shipping for many vessels. To avoid running aground, vessels are restricted to carrying only about 20% of their normal load. This has caused transport costs to surge; for instance, barge rates from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe have risen from 45 euros to as much as 160 euros per ton, while rates from the Upper Rhine to Rotterdam have reportedly quadrupled. The drought threatens the German chemical, steel, and petrochemical industries, with companies such as BASF, Bayer, and Covestro facing potential production halts and increased costs due to shortages of raw materials and reliance on the river for cooling and steam generation. To mitigate these issues, the German government is focusing on shifting freight from waterways to rail and road. Deutsche Bahn is attempting to increase rail freight, with DB Cargo potentially mobilizing 400 additional wagons. Additionally, some German states have temporarily suspended Sunday truck driving bans to shift cargo from water to road. Despite these measures, industry leaders warn that infrastructure remains vulnerable, noting that a long-delayed river deepening project at Kaub is not expected to be completed until 2033. ## Claims - Supply remains guaranteed despite low water levels on important waterways. (disputed by 6 sources) - Commercial shipping through the Kaub bottleneck has essentially stopped, making it impossible to book cargo shipments past that point. (disputed by 4 sources) - The navigable water depth at the Kaub chokepoint was recorded at 15 cm on Tuesday. (disputed by 3 sources) - The river is approximately 1 meter deeper than the required navigable depth at Kaub. (disputed by 3 sources) - About 85% of the Rhine's observed sections reached their lowest July discharge since 1992. (disputed by 3 sources) - The Rhine river has reached its lowest level since record-keeping began in 1880. (disputed) - Low water levels on the Rhine are driving up fuel prices. (corroborated by 14 sources) - The low water situation on the Rhine is intensifying unusually early this year. (corroborated by 9 sources) - Cargo vessels are forced to sail with significantly reduced loads, sometimes at only 25 percent of their normal capacity. (corroborated by 8 sources) - Many Rhine gauges have reached historical low water levels in recent days. (corroborated by 7 sources) - Deutsche Bahn has provided additional capacity, including more wagons. (corroborated by 7 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-08-12: Rhine river low water levels disrupt German industry and logistics Record low water levels on the Rhine have halted much of the river's north-south shipping near Kaub, threatening Germany's chemical and steel industries and driving up transport costs. 11 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/rhine-river-shipping-halts-near-kaub-due-to-record-low-water-levels ### 2026-08-10: Rhine river low water levels disrupt shipping and increase logistics costs Extreme low water levels on the Rhine have halted most commercial shipping at the Kaub chokepoint, driving up logistics costs and impacting industrial production and fuel prices in Germany. 123 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/rhine-and-po-rivers-face-critical-low-water-levels-due-to-drought ### 2026-07-29: Record Low Rhine Levels Disrupt Energy and Transport Across Europe Record low Rhine and Danube levels halt nuclear reactors, curb German industry, raise cargo costs and expose WWII shipwrecks, threatening energy and transport across Europe. 80 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/danube-drought-reveals-wwii-shipwrecks-and-a-mammoth-fossil --- Cite as: European river drought and economic disruption. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/european-river-drought-and-economic-disruption