Rhine River withers to crisis level as Europe craves energy

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The Rhine River is set to become virtually impassable at a key waypoint in Germany, as shallow water chokes off shipments of energy products and other industrial commodities along one of Europe’s most important waterways.

The marker at Kaub, west of Frankfurt, is forecast to drop to the critical depth of 40 centimetres early on Aug. 12, according to the German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration. At that level, most barges that haul goods from diesel to coal are effectively unable to transit the river. It’s set to continue dropping, to 37 centimetres the following day.

“If levels at Kaub drop to 35-55 centimetres in the next two weeks, some barges won’t be able to cross the Rhine at all, while others would carry less cargo,” BASF said Wednesday. Barges are still passing the river at Kaub, an official from the WSA, the German state waterways agency, said Wednesday by phone. He expects the vessels to continue to operate until the Kaub marker drops by about 20 centimetres from current levels.

The low levels could cause planning headaches for utilities like EnBW AG and Uniper SE — the latter of which recently received a $17 billion bailout from the German government to prevent a collapse of its energy network.

 

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Business Maverick: Rhine River Withers to Crisis Level as Europe Craves EnergyThe Rhine River is set to become virtually impassable at a key waypoint in Germany, as shallow water chokes off shipments of energy products and other industrial commodities along one of Europe’s most important waterways.
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