Record low water at Kaub restricts Rhine barge shipping
Record low water at Kaub restricts Rhine barge shipping. The disruption ran from 2026-08-01 (August 2026), and is ongoing, affecting Rotterdam. No measured effect is published for this event; the effect section explains why.
Key facts
- Started
- 2026-08-01 (August 2026)
- Ended
- Not ended
- Status
- ongoing
- Severity
- 3 Significant
- Scope
- regional
- Chokepoints
- None
- Ports
- Rotterdam
- Lanes
- None
- Countries
- Germany, Netherlands
- Confidence
- medium: The record low and the mid-August stoppage rest on one Bloomberg report (syndicated) and a carrier notice; no WSV publication was retrieved and a second archived news source on the low point and later recovery could not be obtained. The start date is approximate and the end is open.
- First reported
- 2026-08-11 (11 August 2026)
- Severity basis: Barge passage at the Rhine's shallowest point, Kaub, was reported effectively blocked in mid-August 2026, a restriction on the main inland route to Rotterdam; no measured port series covers inland barge traffic, so this is an editor judgment.
What happened
Low water on the Rhine fell to the lowest level since records began in 1880 at the Kaub gauge, the river's shallowest point, in August 2026, according to trade reporting on 2026-08-11 (11 August 2026). A shipping broker said the river was effectively impassable at Kaub in both directions, barges that did sail carried much lighter loads, and chemical, steel and energy companies moved freight to rail and road. Forecasters said sustained rain would be needed and the problem could last into October. On 2026-08-12 Maersk told customers that barge transport might become operationally infeasible and published low water surcharges. We found no source giving the state of the river after mid-August, so the end date is open.
Measured effect
No measured effect is published for this event. The affected places are not covered by a daily public series we can use.
The disruption is to inland barge traffic on the Rhine, which is not measured by the port call and chokepoint series in our data. Rotterdam sea port calls are not a measure of barge movements.
Timeline
- Levels at Kaub are reported at the lowest since records began in 1880, with a shipping broker saying barges cannot pass in either direction and companies shifting cargo to rail and road, and forecasters saying the problem could last into October. [s1]
- Maersk warns that barge transport on the Rhine may become operationally unfeasible and publishes low water surcharges and a level below which loading is not guaranteed. [s2]
Cause
Bloomberg reporting links the low river level to dry weather and a heat wave across Europe, with weeks of sustained rain needed for recovery. Attributed by: Bloomberg, as reported by gCaptain. [s1]
Corrections
No corrections to this record as of 2026-09-20 (20 September 2026).
Sources
- [s1] gCaptain (Bloomberg), Rhine River Hits Record Low, Deepening Shipping Crisis, published 2026-08-11 (11 August 2026), accessed 2026-09-20. Archived copy. (press)
- [s2] Maersk, Rhine River - Low Water Surcharge and Benelux update on Low Water Conditions, published 2026-08-12 (12 August 2026), accessed 2026-09-20. Archived copy. (press)