Rain helps Rhine river shipping but water level still too low

Rain in past days has slightly raised Rhine river water levels in Germany, but improvements were moderate and vessels are still sailing considerably less than half full, commodity traders said on Tuesday.

“Water levels have only risen by a few centimeters and more rain is urgently needed,” one commodity trader said. "Problems are not over."

Extreme lack of rain in March and April mean low water is hampering shipping on all the river south of Duisburg and Cologne, including the chokepoint of Kaub, traders said.

But freight deliveries are still continuing, with loads divided among more vessels, increasing costs for cargo owners.

Rain in south Germany raised Kaub water levels by about four centimetres since Friday. But this was enough to enable ships to carry just over 1,000 metric tons of cargo passing Kaub against only 870 tons on Friday, traders said.

Prices for a tanker freighter sailing from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe were unchanged from Friday at about 86 euros a ton of cargo, up from 46 euros in early April and 34 euros in March.

Shallow water means vessel operators impose surcharges on freight rates to compensate for vessels not sailing fully loaded, increasing costs for cargo owners. Consignments must be shipped by several vessels instead of one, also raising costs.

More rain is forecast in German river catchment areas this week and next week which could bring improvements.

The environment ministry in the south German state of Rhineland-Pfalz forecasts water levels at Kaub will rise by a further 17 centimetres by Thursday night.

The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities including grains, minerals, ores, coal and oil products, including heating oil. German companies faced supply bottlenecks and production problems in summer 2022 after a drought and heat wave led to unusually Rhine low water levels.

(Reporting by Michael Hogan, editing by David Evans)