A barge passes exposed rocks and sandbanks on the river Rhine in Bacharach, Germany, Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. After weeks of drought, the water levels of the Rhine have reached historic lows. If the water levels continue to fall, shipping is in danger of coming to a standstill. Germany's main industry lobby group warned Tuesday that factories may have to throttle production or halt it completely because plunging water levels on the Rhine River are making it harder to transport cargo.
Authorities say the shipping lane itself still has a depth of almost 200 centimeters , but the record low measurement Tuesday morning highlights the extreme lack of water caused by months of drought affecting much of Europe. Loesch said shifting cargo from river to train or transport was difficult because of limited rail capacity and a lack of drivers.