Germany news: Some shipping stops as Rhine hits new lows

Germany news: Some shipping stops as Rhine hits new lows Published August 11, 2026last updated August 11, 2026What you need to know - Economic experts expect cuts to industrial production because of reduced cargo shipping on the Rhine river - All shipping past the town of Kaub has now stopped due to record low levels - 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. Some shipping stops on Rhine as level keeps dropping New record-low water levels have been measured on the Rhine, a vital transport waterway, with some cargo vessel owners stopping shipping on river sections in the south. The inland navigation agency WSV reported that the gauge at Kaub, near Koblenz, had fallen to an all-time low of 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) on Tuesday, indicating that the river depth is about 115 centimeters at its deepest point . A commodity trader told the Reuters news agency that it was "no longer to book cargo shipments on the Rhine past Kaub." "Most sailings there have stopped," the trader said. Traders said that sailings on northern sections of the river were continuing. Germany, along with much of Europe, has experienced a series of heatwaves and a long period without meaningful rainfall this summer, leading to low water levels in several rivers. The situation is having not only an environmental but also an economic impact, with companies that are reliant on goods normally transported via water suffering supply shortfalls. The ships that are still sailing are carrying much lighter loads than usual and at higher prices. In pictures: Rhine water levels hit historic low Endurance athlete to swim 200 kilometers from Frankfurt to Cologne for child water safety The 31-year-old endurance swimmer Nathalie Pohl took to the water in the Main River in Frankfurt on Tuesday at the start of a planned 200-kilometer (125-mile) swim to Cologne. Pohl intends to swim via the Main and Rhine rivers to her destination over four days in a feat aimed at drawing attention to the importance of safe swimming, particularly for children. According to figures from the German Livesaving Association (DLRG), at least 261 people have died by drowning this year up to the end of July. The action is intended to raise money for swimming projects and education. Swim not without risks She is being accompanied by other swimmers who will put in one-hour sessions between her two-hour stints in the water. Ahead of the start, Pohl showed herself unfazed by the possibility that low water levels in the Rhine could mean a weaker current at her and her team's back. "Enough water is there and it shouldn't be a problem," she told the German DPA news agency, saying, however, that she hoped the algae that thrive in low water would not affect her health. Pohl received a special permit for her action, with German authorities fundamentally warning against swimming in large rivers. "Ultimately, something can always happen," she said, while stressing that she and her team had a comprehensive safety concept. What you need to know about low river water levels Water levels in several rivers in Germany, including the Rhine, have hit record lows that are well below normal for this time of year, causing severe disruptions to river traffic, with ships cutting their loads by about 80%. The water shortage comes during a prolonged dry period in Germany, accompanied by frequent heat waves, both of which are attributed by scientists partly to the effects of human-induced climate change. But why is the situation so serious for Germany, and what are the key terms in connection with low water levels? The Rhine: A vital transport waterway The Rhine has been used as a transport corridor for much of western Europe since Roman times. It is the most important waterway in Europe, connecting industrial regions in Germany, Switzerland and other countries with big North Sea ports, including Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Although only one in 10 tons of freight in Germany is transported via rivers such as the Rhine, they are much used for certain goods, including ore, oil, chemical products and coal. As a result, industries that depend on these for their production are likely to be forced to cut their output, as not only is supply reduced in the current situation, but transport prices have also gone up massively. What are river gauge measurements? The depth of water in German rivers is measured by gauges (Pegel) situated at strategic points on their course. These gauges, which are mostly located near the banks of a river, measure the depth of the river over an arbitrarily selected baseline. This means the measurements are only an indication of the actual navigable depth, which can be much more. For instance, although the gauge at the town of Kaub currently measures 16 cm (6.3 inches), the depth of the river in the channel used by shipping there is around 129 cm. Why is the gauge at Kaub so important? Kaub is situated on the Middle Rhine between St. Goar and Budenheim. This section of river is seen as a chokepoint for shipping on the Rhine, as the navigable channel is not as well developed as in other places. It has also long been used since 1856 as a key location to measure low water levels in the Rhine. The previous lowest measurement in Kaub was 25 cm (9.8 inches) on October 22, 2018. The present measurement of 16 cm is thus already a historic low — and it is expected to sink to single figures in the next few days. Child road accidents rising steadily More children were killed or injured in road accidents in 2025 than in in the previous year. That represents a renewed rise in road deaths and injuries affecting children since a decline during the coronavirus pandemic, statistics show. Altogether 29,270 children under the age of 15 were injured in traffic accidents in Germany last year, a 7% increase over 2024, the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported on Monday. The number of children killed in such accidents also rose from 53 in 2024 to 74 in 2025. Of those fatalities, 30 were children under 6, well up on the number of children in that age group that were killed in 2024 (18). The largest increase in deaths was seen in children travelling in cars (21 to 31). The number of children killed on their bicycles in 2025 rose to 13 from 8 the previous year, while 4 were killed riding e-scooters, compared with none in 2024. Most of the children involved in road traffic accidents in 2025 were riding a bicycle (34%). Altogether 31% were in a car, 20% were on foot and 8% were travelling on an e-scooter when the accidents occurred "On average, a child was injured or killed in a road traffic accident every 18 minutes in 2025," Destatis said. Germany needs planned intelligence agency reforms, top politician says The chairman of the parliamentary panel overseeing Germany's secret services, Marc Henrichmann, has defended the new powers planned for intelligence agencies. "The latest security incident at the Leipzig freight airport has shown once again that we are dealing with a new quality of hybrid threats," Henrichmann told the daily Rheinische Post. An explosives-laden unmanned aerial vehicle was flown into the airport last week. Henrichmannsaid that cyber attacks, sabotage and unauthorized drone overflights were "now part of a reality for which we have to be better prepared." For this reason, he said, both the foreign intelligence agency (BND) and the domestic intelligence agency (BfV) needed the "necessary legal and technical options" to detect threats early on and identify their sources. The reform plans have met with criticism from civil liberty activists. The Society for Civil Rights (GFF) has voiced fears that they could lead to a "massive increase in power for intelligence agencies. "The BND and BfV are to be allowed to intervene profoundly in basic rights with expanded use of government spyware, AI analyses practically without protective measures, access to private video cameras and even hack-backs although the legal hurdles often remain vague and too low," the organization's Kai Dittmann said. He called for the draft bill to be thoroughly revised, calling it "unconstitutional in many parts." The draft reform bill is set to be approved by the German Cabinet on Wednesday. Autobahn reopens after closure because of wildfire A highway in the northern state of Lower Saxony has reopened after being closed for over 12 hours as wildfire smoke dangerously reduced visibility. Police closed the A7 autobahn to traffic between Göttingen and Kassel on Monday afternoon after thick smoke from the fire near Hannoversch Münden engulfed the road. A police spokeswoman said some clean-up operations on a section of the motorway went on until the early hours of Tuesday morning but that both sides could now be used. 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.