Environment and Energy

Rhine Water Levels Drop to 36-Year Low Amid European Heat Wave

Water levels at Kaub, a key chokepoint for Rhine River shipments, have fallen to 28 centimeters, the lowest since 2018, with forecasts showing potential decline to 24 centimeters on Friday—the lowest in data going back to 1990. The disruption is already raising shipping costs for diesel from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe to their highest since 2009, while coal inventories at the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp hub have risen about 75% since spring as barge loadings inland have been cut by three-quarters.