The Rhine River has reached the lowest water levels ever recorded at the German-Dutch border, according to data from the Netherlands' Rijkswaterstaat on Thursday (July 30). 

Low water levels, caused by heatwaves and consistent dry weather, have already disrupted shipping in the region for weeks, and are expected to get lower. 

Germany's federal waterways agency WSV said the navigable depth at Kaub, a key chokepoint, was 29cm early on Thursday, and were forecast to fall to 26cm between Thursday and Monday. Vessels generally need a navigable depth of 1.5 meters at Kaub to sail fully loaded.

Vessels have been forced to lighten their load due to the shallow waters. Roberto Spranzi, director of the German DTG shipping cooperative, says cargo ships are currently only carrying 20% of their full load. This means four to five times as many ships are needed to transport usual cargo volumes, bringing an unwelcome extra surcharge for cargo owners. 

The cost of tanker barge transport from Rotterdam to Karlsruke, Germany, has risen to around $170 a ton from $52 at the end of June, commodity traders say.

This comes as Germany falls behind in Europe's economic recovery. Europe's largest economy experienced two consecutive years of economic contraction in 2023 and 2024, and 2025's GDP growth was a mere 0.2%. Other eurozone countries, like Spain, Greece, and Portugal, have outperformed on the upside in recent quarterly data.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported in April that "after a decade of strong export-led growth," the German economy had been hit by COVID, the Ukraine conflict and rising trade tensions.

The Rhine is an important shipping route for key commodities, including grains, minerals, ores, coal and petrol. The effect of supply bottlenecks will be felt across Germany, and the wider European economy. 

The Rhine is not the only to have been affected by Europe's record heatwaves. The Danube River, for example, reached its lowest levels around Budapest since 1996.

"We expect that, due to climate change, these kinds of conditions will occur increasingly often," a spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat said.