Key facts
- Barge traffic on the River Rhine is largely halted due to record low water levels.
- The Kaub bottleneck gauge reached a new record low of 17cm, with further drops expected.
- Historically low water levels have significantly reduced the carrying capacity of barges.
- Product availability in western Germany has tightened, impacting road fuels.
- Emergency measures, including lifting truck restrictions, have been introduced by German authorities.
Barge traffic along the River Rhine has largely come to a standstill, disrupting oil product supply in western Germany, according to barge operators. Several terminals on the Lower Rhine are expected to be cut off from barge traffic by the end of the week.
The gauge at the key Kaub bottleneck reached a new record low over the weekend, measuring 17cm. The federal waterways and shipping administration anticipates the level could fall to as little as 4cm by August 14, rendering the bottleneck practically impassable.
Historically low water levels have already significantly reduced the number of barges able to pass Kaub and the loads they can carry without running aground. A German shipowner noted that a vessel with a maximum capacity of 1,200t could only carry 180t when levels were at 23cm, and the voyage from the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) hub to Karlsruhe now takes five days instead of two. Specialized vessels, designed to draw less water, can carry a maximum of 700t.
The federal waterways and shipping administration also reported that the water level in Cologne was just under 60cm. Most inland vessel fleets require water levels of around 1m to reach loading terminals in the area. This threshold was breached at the end of July, and water levels are forecast to fall further to as low as 40cm by mid-month. Consequently, loading terminals in western Germany, including Neuss, Duisburg, and Bendorf, may also become inaccessible during the week ending August 14.
In response to the growing logistical constraints, German policymakers have introduced emergency measures. The federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Lower Saxony, and Saarland have temporarily lifted restrictions on truck traffic on Sundays and public holidays. However, it remains uncertain if the oil product sector will benefit, as replacing a fully loaded barge carrying 2,400t of diesel would require nearly 89 road tankers.
Fuel traders are also reporting that their tanker fleets are operating above normal utilization levels due to longer hauls to more competitively priced loading terminals. Product availability in western Germany, particularly for road fuels, has tightened in recent weeks. Many traders are diverting purchases to the Miro consortium's 310,000 b/d Karlsruhe refinery in southwestern Germany.
Further complicating supply, a leak at a mild hydrocracker at the Bayernoil consortium's 207,000 b/d Vohburg-Neustadt refinery prompted two local suppliers to withdraw supply from the spot market on August 7. These restrictions are expected to last for about a week, impacting supply in southern Germany.