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Water at Key Rhine Waypoint Set to Rise Above Critical Level

A visitor walks along exposed rock on the shoreline of the River Rhine near Pfalzgrafenstein castle in Kaub, Germany.

A visitor walks along exposed rock on the shoreline of the River Rhine near Pfalzgrafenstein castle in Kaub, Germany.

Photographer: Ben Kilb/Bloomberg
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The water level at a key German waypoint on the Rhine River is forecast to rise above a critical level this weekend, potentially bringing a sliver of relief for shippers of vital commodities through inland Europe.

The marker at Kaub, a chokepoint on the river to the west of Frankfurt, will hit 41 centimeters (16.1 inches) on Saturday morning local time, rising to 49 centimeters early on Sunday, according to German government data. When the water level is 40 centimeters or below, it is uneconomical for many commodity-hauling barges to sail through.