Rhine falls to record low levels as drought strains Europe's rivers

On Friday, the navigable water depth at the chokepoint of Kaub near Koblenz hit the 2018 record low of 25cm, before recovering slightly on Monday. The Kaub gauging station in western Germany is a key indicator of navigability on the Rhine because it measures how heavily cargo vessels can be loaded. Low water levels measured there can severely restrict inland shipping.Martin Wolters of the Rhine-waterways-and-shipping-authority" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="177483" data-entity-type="organization">Rhine Waterways and Shipping Authority told German outlet WDR that although shipping on the Rhine was unlikely to be suspended altogether, precautions would have to be taken, such as spreading out cargo among more vessels to make them less heavy. In time, this can result in higher transport costs and supply bottlenecks, Wolters said."There comes a time when loads are too small to be worthwhile or vessel owners are worried about damaging their ships," one commodity trader told Reuters.Last week, the waters of the Danube fell to the lowest levels for 30 years in several countries, including Serbia and Romania, forcing Hungary to shut down its only nuclear power plant."We don't know when we will be able to restart [the plant]," Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Monday. "We hope that it will happen as soon as possible and we hope that the cooling, liberating rain that the forecasters do not yet see coming will arrive."The drought of the Danube is also causing serious disruption to power supplies in Serbia and Romania.