Coal barges being unloaded at the Thyssenkrupp AG area of the inland harbor in Duisburg, Germany, on July 20.
Photographer: Ben Kilb/Bloomberg
Europe’s Most Important Trade Route Is at Risk Due to Climate Change
Low waters are becoming more frequent and forcing costly and cumbersome workarounds to keep supply lines open
The Rhine River has been a reliable shipping lane for centuries, helping spawn industrial giants along its banks. But those days are coming to an end, and the scramble is made all the more urgent as Germany’s government fails to keep pace.
With water regularly receding to levels that impede shipping from late summer through the fall, companies up and down Europe’s most important trade route are rushing to adapt, underscoring how the climate crisis is hitting even advanced industrial economies.