Europe’s Rhine River, a major transport route for industry and trade, is facing severe drought and record-low water levels, disrupting cargo movement and raising costs. The report, published on August 7, 2026, said water levels fell this week to their lowest since official measurements began in 1880. Large vessels are carrying less freight, while cargo is being shifted in some places to smaller boats, trucks and rail, adding pressure to German industrial production.

The roughly 800-mile Rhine runs from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea through six countries and carries about 300 million tons of goods annually. In parts near Duisburg, water is only slightly more than four feet deep, forcing some ships to unload up to two-thirds of their cargo. The 564-foot W. D. Beijers Senior, which normally carries 5,000 tons of iron ore, is currently limited to 1,200 tons.

Low water has also affected the Danube, raising concerns over water used to cool nuclear reactors in Hungary and Romania. Research cited by the report estimates that a month of low-water conditions could cut German industrial output by about 1 percent. Companies have expanded storage and other preparations, but only a few of roughly 8,000 cargo ships on the Rhine are specially designed for shallow water.