The Rhine's water level at Cologne has fallen to a record low as prolonged dry weather continued to affect one of Europe's busiest inland waterways.
The river measured 68 centimetres at the Cologne gauge on Saturday morning, 1 centimetre below the previous record low of 69 centimetres set on October 23, 2018, according to Germany's Waterways and Shipping Administration.
Water levels are forecast to rise slightly later in the day.
Further downstream at Duisburg-Ruhrort, another key shipping gauge, the river fell back to its previous record low of 153 centimetres for the first time. Authorities now expect the level to remain at that mark rather than fall below it, contrary to earlier forecasts.
While gauge readings do not reflect the river's actual depth, they are used by the shipping industry to determine how heavily vessels can be loaded. Low water levels can force ships to carry smaller cargoes or suspend operations altogether.