Low Rhine Water Levels Trigger Maersk Surcharges and Reroute Barge Traffic in Europe
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The Rhine River is recording unusually low water levels at the Kaub, Duisburg-Ruhrort and Cologne gauge points, a situation that is already triggering low-water surcharges on inland waterway transport and that, if it worsens, could render barge operations unviable. Maersk stated that these additional costs will be passed directly on to its customers.
Critical thresholds
According to the carrier, if the water level at Kaub falls below 81 centimeters, or at Duisburg-Ruhrort below 181 centimeters, cargo guarantees for customers can no longer be provided. The surcharges apply only to full containers and escalate significantly as water levels drop: at Kaub, for instance, they rise from EUR 50 per 20-foot container when the level is below 1.51 meters to EUR 1,535 when it falls below 0.21 meters, while below 0.41 meters transport is no longer guaranteed. Maersk described the situation as exceptional and unpredictable, stating it could not forecast its duration or severity.
Rerouting of inland waterway traffic
As a result of the low Rhine water levels, part of the traffic is being diverted to other waterways, generating additional delays. On the Dortmund-Ems Canal, inland vessels now need more than 80 hours to travel from Delfzijl to the Gleesen lock, compared with the usual 16 hours, due to the extra traffic pushed onto that canal by the Rhine's low water levels, according to NDR.
Impact on other river basins
The low water level phenomenon is not limited to the Rhine: reduced flows are also being recorded on the Danube River, affecting barge loading capacity and potentially worsening the diesel fuel shortage in Ukraine, according to the specialized outlet Enkorr. Some vessels have been unable to reach Ukrainian ports altogether due to this situation, compounding delays of between five and eight days at land border crossings and eight days or more for rail shipments of fuel.
