Market update - Low water issue river Rhine

Due to a very dry European Summer, the River Rhine is seeing a continued decrease in its water levels which is significantly affecting the inland capacity via Barge services. This low water issue has an effect on services into the Main Gateway Ports of The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The water levels of the Upper Rhine area are getting close to a critical point and barge operators are being forced to stop operations or continue at a significantly reduced capacity. This critical water level of the Upper Rhine will have an affect on the Mid and Lower Rhine Water levels also. 

This has an immediate affect on how we are able to move our cargo and will result in having to change the method of transportation to Rail and/or Road and cause extra pressure on these road services, potentially causing delay of bookings for cargo.

We will continue to do our best to move cargo as expected and send further updates as more information comes to hand.

For any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your local Mainfreight Customer Service Representative.