• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • About Us
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Parcel & Express
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Robotics
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Customer Relationship Management
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • Green Energy
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Management & Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Warehouse Automation
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • WHITEPAPERS
  • VIDEOS
Home » Boat Blocks the Rhine Just as Water Level Starts Creeping Higher

Boat Blocks the Rhine Just as Water Level Starts Creeping Higher

Germany Is Re-Engineering Europe’s Most Important River

A map showing the course of the Rhine river.

August 17, 2022
Bloomberg

A vessel is blocking the Rhine River after suffering a technical fault, yet another glitch for the key waterway that has become difficult to navigate because of drought.

A section of the river between St. Goar and Oberwesel is closed, a spokesman for the WSA water authority said. That’s on a narrow part of the river near the closely watched Kaub chokepoint. 

The blockage comes just as the water level at Kaub is starting to edge higher. After falling as low as 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) earlier this week, it’s now forecast to reach 49 centimeters (19.3 inches) on Aug. 21. The measured water level isn’t the actual depth of the river, but rather a marker used for navigability.

The affected vessel is made up of four parts, which will have to be separated from one another before they can be towed away. That’s being worked on and it’s possible that the river will reopen as early as Aug. 17, the spokesman said.

Read more: Rhine River Withers to Crisis Level as Europe Craves Energy

Low water levels are restricting the shipment of commodities along the Rhine River, which snakes for about 800 miles from the Swiss Alps down to the North Sea. This latest setback only adds to the logistical difficulties already facing shippers.

The water measure at Kaub is currently 34 centimeters, meaning the water is so shallow that it’s uneconomical for many commodity-hauling barges to sail through the chokepoint. That’s curbing the shipment of vital goods to locations further upriver, including parts of southern Germany and Switzerland.

While the river between St. Goar and Overwesel may be reopened relatively quickly, low water levels are set to continue limiting shipments for some time yet. Even if the marker at Kaub rises to 49 centimeters as forecast, many barges will still be severely restricted in how much cargo they can carry at that level.

    RELATED CONTENT

    RELATED VIDEOS

    Transportation & Distribution Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Related Articles

      E-commerce Fundamentally Changing B2B Commerce, Just as in B2C World

      Airlines Are Struggling With Engines Just as Travel Rebounds

      European Gasoline Shipments to U.S. Ease Just as Stockpiles Shrink

    Bloomberg

    ICE Reverses Plan to Detain Migrants in Mega-Warehouses

    More from this author

    Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

    Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

    Featured Product

    Popular Stories

    • A pair of hands reaches towards a cluster of icons showing global logistics network distribution and transportation

      CSCMP's State of Logistics Report: Get Used to the Fog

      Logistics
    • TWO WORKERS DISCUSS DATA SHOWN ON COMPUTER SCREENS

      Gartner: Gap in SC AI Talent Cannot Be Closed by Hiring Alone

      Artificial Intelligence
    • Medical masks and rubber gloves

      Fire at California Warehouse Threatens West Coast Medical Supplies

      Global Supply Chain Management
    • A large black and red container ship at sea

      Shipping Bottlenecks Likely to Persist Long After Hormuz Reopens

      Global Supply Chain Management
    • AN IMAGE WITH A HAND HOLDING FLOATING ICONS OF WHEEL COGS AND SOURCES OF DATA

      How Distributors Can Make the Most of Consolidated Data

      Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)

    Digital Edition

    2026 esg cover main scb q2 2026 cover

    SupplyChainBrain 2026 ESG Guide: ESG — The Supply Chain’s Biggest Secret

    VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

    Case Studies

    • Recycled Tagging Fasteners: Small Changes Make a Big Impact

    • A GRAPHIC SHOWING MULTIPLE FORMS OF SHIPPING, WITH A HUMAN STANDING AT THE CENTER, TOUCHING A SYMBOLIC MAP OF THE WORLD

      Enhancing High-Value Electronics Shipment Security with Tive's Real-Time Tracking

    • A GRAPHIC OF INTERLACING HONEYCOMBED ELEMENTS REPRESENTING GLOBAL BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS

      Moving Robots Site-to-Site

    • JLL Finds Perfect Warehouse Location, Leading to $15M Grant for Startup

    • Robots Speed Fulfillment to Help Apparel Company Scale for Growth

    Visit Our Sponsors

    4flow Arkieva Blue Yonder
    Carton Cloud CoEnterprise Dassault
    Duravant E2Open General Logistics Systems
    Hy-Tek iGPS Korber
    Lyngsoe Procurability Quinyx
    SAP Sikick Systech
    S&P Global Mobility TADA TransImpact
    US Bank Werner Enterprises WSI
    • More From SCB
      • Featured Content
      • Video Library
      • Think Tank Blog
      • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
      • Whitepapers
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Upcoming Webinars
    • Digital Offerings
      • Digital Issue
      • Subscribe
      • Manage Email Preferences
      • Newsletters
    • Resources
      • Events Calendar
      • 2026 Event Coverage
      • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
      • Supplier Directory
      • Case Study Showcase
      • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
      • 100 Great Partners Form
    • SCB Corporate
      • Advertise on SCB.COM
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact Us
      • Data Sharing Opt-Out

    All content copyright ©2026 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing