Rhine river in Germany at key waypoint set to steady at low water level
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A marker at Kaub, west of Frankfurt, is set to drop to 30cm until at least Aug 18, government data shows.
PHOTO: AFP
FRANKFURT (BLOOMBERG) - The water level at a key waypoint on the Rhine River is poised to steady at an extremely low level this week, as a climate crisis compounds Europe's worst energy supply crunch in years.
The marker at Kaub, a narrow and shallow point west of Frankfurt, is set to drop to 30cm by Monday (Aug 15) and hold near that level until at least Aug 18, the latest German government data show.
A forecast on Saturday showed it dipping slightly below the 30cm mark in the coming week.
The Rhine is western Europe's most important river for the transport of fuel and other industrial goods.
Many barges find it uneconomical to transit past Kaub when the water level there is at 40cm or below. It is currently at about 35cm.
The marker is not the actual depth of the river, but rather a measure for navigability.
