Germany news: Rhine levels could cause production cuts

Germany news: Rhine levels could cause production cuts Published August 11, 2026last updated August 11, 2026What you need to know - Economic experts expect cuts to industrial production due to reduced cargo shipping on the Rhine river - Wildfires caused the temporary closure of a major autobahn in northern Germany - The number of children involved in road accidents has increased Join us as we cover these and other stories hitting the headlines in Germany on Tuesday, August 8. Tired of missing our real-time updates? Click here to add us as a Preferred Source on Google. Then tap the "Star" or "Preferred" to keep DW News at the top of your feed. Low water in Rhine will cause production cuts — IW research institute The reduction in cargo being shipped via the Rhine because of low water levels will lead companies to cut production, a leading economic research institute reports. "Transport routes south of Kaub are now threatening to become completely severed, meaning the Rhine is cut in two," Thomas Puls, the transport expert from the German Economic Institute (IW) told the daily Rheinische Post. "Because neither road nor rail are able to take the goods needed, the most likely reaction of primary industries will be to reduce production," he said. This assessment appeared to be confirmed by a spokesman for the chemical company Covestro, who told the paper that the shortfalls in supply caused by the disruption to Rhine shipping was already affecting production. The spokesman said that the current lifting of a ban on trucks using the motorway on Sundays would be of only temporary benefit. "Ship transport via the Rhine can barely be compensated on the road, as a cargo vessel that can carry 1,500 tons is the equivalent of around 60 trucks," he said. "So ship transport cannot be completely shifted to roads." The record low water levels on the Rhine caused by a prolonged shortage of rainfall in Germany mean that ships are currently able to carry only around a fifth of the load they usually transport. Welcome to our coverage A warm guten Tag from DW's newsroom on the banks of the Rhine in Bonn! And, as has so often been the case recently, that very river is at the focus of our reporting from Germany as low water levels cause major disruption to cargo shipping and thus potentially to the industries that depend on it. Another main topic is the threat to national security from hybrid forms of warfare, as reflected in recent drone incidents at sensitive sites. The government is moving to give intelligence agencies new powers to combat this threat, something that some see as a danger to civil liberties. And we also take a look at statistics showing that road accidents involving children are on the rise again after a reduction during the coronavirus pandemic.