LONDON (ICIS)--The River Rhine’s water levels are forecast to remain low in the first week of August, which are set to negatively impact shipping on the waterway.
Water levels at the Kaub measuring point are expected to decline in August, potentially reaching its lowest level of the year at around 70cm.
“The water levels in the River Rhine will probably remain low until beginning of September. Even though our models predict a moderate water level rise in the second half of August, the levels are expected to stay lower than 'normal',” said Dennis Meissner of the from the Hydrology Institute.
He added, “Even in August shipping will probably stay affected by low flow resulting in limited transport capacities.”
Low water levels will therefore continue to hinder the ability of ships to carry large quantities of shipping items.
Germany’s waterways have been facing low water levels since mid-June, with deep-draught vessels on the Rhine having to cut force loads at certain stretches causing barge and traffic disruptions.
A distributor of toluene and mixed xylenes (MX) who normally can secure 1,000 tonnes is now being capped by barges at 350 tonnes.
“Rhine issues have meant that production was unable to run at rates to help them stock build ahead of a planned turnaround later on" said an ethylene derivative producer. It was also mentioned that producers cannot get a hold of other core raw materials.
A new action plan called ‘Low Water Rhine’ is being put into place to ensure that the impact of future low water levels on shipping is kept at a minimum.
President of the Federal Waterways and Shipping Agency Hans-Heinrich Witte said: “This expanded water level forecast helps us take early precaution on federal waterways – particularly in times of persistent low water situations.”
Focus by Sophie Handler
Additional reporting by Nel Weddle