Continuing low water levels on the Rhine are expected to cause significant economic damage in Germany this year, a regional transport policy spokeswoman said on Sunday.
"It is a truly critical situation," Rhineland-Palatinate Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) spokeswoman Nicole Rabold said.
"Whether the damage will exceed that of 2018 remains to be seen," Rabold said, but added that the economic damage was already expected to be "immense."
She said that if the water level at Kaub - a particularly critical point for navigation on the Rhine - fell below 40 centimetres, economically viable inland shipping would no longer be possible along a section of the Middle Rhine that forms a key bottleneck on the waterway.
A series of heatwaves and low water levels on the nation's rivers caused restrictions on the transport of goods by water this year, leading to concern about the effects on the economy.
Although the water level at Kaub had risen slightly following some recent rainfall, it has again fallen below the previous record low of 25 centimetres, measured in 2018. Earlier this year, the level temporarily dropped into single digits.
As a result, freight shipping on the Rhine has collapsed: cargo ships can either no longer operate at all or can only travel without cargo. This is driving up costs, a spokeswoman for IHK Rheinhessen said.
The exact economic damage this year remains unclear, Rabold said. During the low-water year of 2018, the damage amounted to around €2.4 billion (2.8 billion), she noted. Since then, investments have been made and logistics have been optimized, for example, through the use of vessels designed for low-water conditions, according to the spokeswoman.
Improved water-level forecasts could also help companies plan their shipments more effectively, Rabold said.
Historic low water levels have been recorded not only in Kaub. In Cologne, the water level has also recently fallen below the previous record low of 69 centimetres, recorded in 2018.