The Rhine River reached a new record low water level in Cologne on Saturday afternoon, highlighting the growing impact of drought conditions across Germany. According to Germany's Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration, the water level dropped to just 67 centimeters, two centimeters below the previous record set in 2018. However, rainfall was expected to bring a slight improvement later in the day.
Water levels upstream of Koblenz have already begun to recover. At the Kaub gauge, one of the Rhine’s most important shipping reference points, the water level had fallen to a low of 25 centimeters on Friday but rose again to 30 centimeters by Saturday afternoon.
Further downstream, however, the situation continued to worsen. In Düsseldorf, the Rhine measured only 23 centimeters at midday, matching the record low recorded in 2018.
The unusually low water levels are increasing transport costs and placing significant pressure on industries that depend on bulk cargo transportation. Inland shipping companies are forced to reduce cargo loads substantially, while some vessels are unable to operate at all.
These disruptions have wider consequences for supply chains and logistics throughout Germany's industrial sector.
The Rhine's low water levels are primarily the result of prolonged dry weather affecting large parts of Germany. Scientists have warned that climate change is increasing the likelihood of such extreme weather conditions, making periods of severe low water more frequent.
Several other rivers across the country are also experiencing unusually low water levels.
Christoph Ploß, the German government's Maritime Coordinator, urged faster expansion and modernization of the country's waterways infrastructure.
"Low water levels must not become a brake on the German economy," Ploß told the Funke Media Group newspapers. He called for the rapid implementation of the government's previously approved infrastructure program for the Lower and Middle Rhine and noted that additional funding for waterways has been included in the federal budget proposal.
Thilo Schaefer of the German Economic Institute (IW) also highlighted the economic risks posed by falling water levels.
"Freight transport on the Rhine is already highly sensitive to declining water levels," Schaefer told the Rheinische Post. He warned that reduced cargo capacity on inland vessels increases transport costs and puts additional strain on road and rail networks.
According to Schaefer, a complete shutdown of inland shipping would require around 3,000 additional tanker trucks every day, capacity that is currently unavailable.
Not everyone agrees that large-scale dredging of the Rhine is the right solution. North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister for Economic Affairs, Mona Neubaur, argued that deepening the river along its entire length would not solve the problem.
Speaking to the Rheinische Post, Neubaur said targeted interventions at specific bottlenecks could be considered, while cautioning against broad riverbed expansion projects. The debate highlights the challenge of balancing economic needs with environmental concerns as Germany adapts to increasingly frequent periods of extreme weather.
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