A Falling Rhine River Is Lifting Transport Costs as Heat Persists

Water levels on Europe’s most important river are falling again, threatening a repeat of last year’s supply-chain crunch and higher transport costs for companies that rely on the Rhine for trade.

The measured water level at Kaub, a key waypoint to the west of Frankfurt, fell beneath 1 meter (3.3 feet) earlier on Wednesday for the first time since March, according to German government data compiled by Bloomberg. That’s well below the seasonal norm. The amount of fuel barges can transport to parts of inland Europe has already been restricted.