Inserts:

00:03 Report / 
00:20 Tim Gödde / Director Ship Management HGK
01:23 Tim Gödde / Director Ship Management HGK

Script:

This river is missing its most important ingredient: 

water. 

Germany's busiest transport river is running dry. 

The Rhine is crucial to Germany's economy: 80% of its inland shipping of goods relies on this river. 

And that's what's under threat because of low water levels. 

SOT Tim 

[INSERT: Tim Gödde HGK Ship Management] 

Of course, the pressure is quite high. 

The Rhine is being considered as a kind of aorta for the industry. 

Commodities such as liquid petroleum products, iron ore, sand, gravel, and containers are transported along the river. 
They supply factories strategically located along its banks. 

But now, many vessels are operating below their full capacity. 

Like this ship. It could load more containers. 

Way more. But It's not possible right now. 

SOT Tim 

The worst case scenario would be if, regulatory bodies would decide to stop in waterway transportation. 

And the timing could hardly be worse. 

Construction is disrupting road and rail transport, making it harder to move freight from A to B without delays or detours.   

At the same time, heatwaves are rolling across Europe, putting even more pressure on the water levels.    

Normally, the water level here is about 290 centimeters. Right now, it is 170 centimeters, which is 120 centimeters lower than normal. 

That's this much. 

And with the weather forecast to be sunny and warm, there is a risk that water levels will shrink further. 

SOT Tim 

The economic upturn that was expected for the coming weeks and months could even be very massively impacted by low water periods. 

The effects are already felt in the industry. 

A large steel company has already reduced production. 

And the situation hasn't been this bad in almost four years. 

In 2018 and 2022 similar droughts forced ships to drastically reduce cargo. But companies tried to learn from the past. 

There are solutions now. Like this ship, we are standing on. 

It's special because it's shaped like a box [arrow point on ship] and therefore floating more. 

And another trick is hidden below the deck. 

Right there in the back of the engine room, you can see those orange ones. 

To keep cargo moving, many shipping companies are making more trips. It means more work, but higher freight rates help compensate for the extra effort. 

But if water levels continue to fall, the river could become impassable. 

This passenger ship has already run aground. [location insert: Bonn, Germany date: 16.07.2026] 

For several hours, it was stuck and had to get help. 

This raised alarms because this year’s drop came much earlier in the season than many expected. 

SOT Tim 

It goes beyond Germany—way beyond Germany. 

We also spoke to another shipper who had just managed to navigate the Rhine but is now stranded farther along, on the way to the Danube. 

The EU's longest river, the Danube, reached its lowest flow in 30 years in some places, including Romania. 

Experts predict that low-water events on the Rhine could become more frequent and longer-lasting. One of the reasons: hotter summers.