rhine river cruises and drought

Will the drought in Europe affect your river cruise vacation?

Experts are saying that the current drought in Europe could be the worst in 500 years, with water levels dropping, especially along the Rhine River. If have a river cruise planned for the end of the summer or the fall, should you be concerned?

Not at all, according to Rudi Schreiner, president and co-founder AmaWaterways — as long as you're willing to be a little bit flexible.

Here's what you need to know about water levels on Europe rivers and what to expect if you're booked on a river cruise or considering booking one.

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Cargo ships have it worse because of draft

The dire news you're reading about low water levels in Europe now, especially along the Rhine River, mostly concerns the cargo shipping industry in Europe.

"The Rhine River is the main artery for German and Swiss transportation and also French," said Schreiner. If water levels are low, cargo ships cannot carry their normal loads of freight.

That's because the weight of the cargo such vessels carry affects their draft (the distance between the ship's bottom and the water line). A weighted-down ship sinks lower in the water and therefore needs more distance from the water line to the river bottom to sail safely without scraping the riverbed.

If ships have to lighten their loads to cross shallow water, fewer goods can be transported at once. Companies will need more ships to carry the same amount of cargo, increasing transportation costs — all of which have a negative impact on the European economy.

Schreiner says that the last time Europe experienced extremely low water levels, in 2018, the economic impact was around 5.4 million euros ($5.4 million). You can see why people are worried.

However, the same problems do not affect river cruise ships.

"Our ships have a very low draft…about five feet," he explained. "We also carry about 500 tons of water, that is ballast and fresh water for the guests."

In the case of low water, the crew can dump the ballast water and reduce the freshwater to 60 tons (two days' worth), and just refill as needed. The low draft and the adjustability of the ballast allow the ships to navigate through sections of the river where the water levels are not very deep.

Low water is only a problem at critical junctions, not along the entire river

Another point that travelers should understand is that when the news reports low water levels, it's not that an entire river has dried up and is impassable.

"There are critical points, like the one on the Rhine River, right in the Rhine Gorge," Schreiner explained. "There is rock on the bottom; there's also this little house in the middle of the river. The area is protected and that's where you have the low water issues. You could tear down the house and build a dam there, but that is not what is going to happen."

Where the European rivers have locks and dams to control water levels, ships can still sail problem-free. Another section of river that can be negatively affected by low water levels is the Danube, past the last lock in Slovakia heading downriver toward Hungary. If water levels fall, riverboats can have trouble sailing all the way to Budapest.

Because these problem spots are well known, river cruise lines can find ways to mitigate the issues with savvy itinerary planning.

Related: Best river cruises in Europe

River cruise lines plan itineraries with water levels in mind

The river cruise lines will tell you that low water levels are rare, and that few sailings are altered due to water levels – but the truth is the risk is always present. Any time there's a heat wave in Europe, especially if coupled with lighter-than-average spring snow melt or rainfall, you can end up with low water in certain parts of Europe.

The cruise lines plan their itineraries to mitigate this risk.

One thing Amawaterways and many other river lines do is run two ships simultaneously on the same one-way itinerary, with one ship starting at one end and the other on the opposite end.

Schreiner gives an example of two identical sister ships, AmaLucia and AmaSiena, that both sail the Rhine.

"We have one ship starting in Amsterdam and one ship starting in Basel…If they cannot pass Kaub [the critically low water point on the Rhine], then [the passengers] all disembark on either side," he explained. "They disembark in the morning, they go on the shore excursion, and they come back on the other side on the sister ship. In the same cabin. Their luggage has been moved over automatically so by the time they arrive on the ship they have their luggage, and then they sail on the other ship back to the destination."

Other than the hassle of packing up in the middle of the cruise, travelers still get the full Rhine experience they paid for.

If the water issues are closer to the beginning or end of an itinerary, cruisers may have to spend a few days in hotels or bussing to destinations rather than sailing there. In some cases, an itinerary may be adjusted with certain destinations dropped and new ones added. Only in very rare circumstances are the sailings canceled outright.

"We will not cancel any cruises," said Shreiner. Instead, in the most extreme cases, AmaWaterways will create a new itinerary.

Not every river cruise line takes the same stance.

"We've canceled one cruise on the Danube and have made a few mostly minor alterations to a small handful of cruises on the Rhine," a Tauck spokesman told TPG when asked about this year's cruises. "Like other river cruise lines, we've dealt successfully with low-water situations in the past, and we have a variety of strategies that we can deploy as necessary. Unlike other river cruise lines, however, we're very fortunate that we also operate numerous land tours throughout the region, so we have a fantastic network of local supplier-partners that we can leverage as necessary should alternate arrangements become necessary."

The situation changes day by day

Water levels are unpredictable and can vary day by day, depending on what the weather brings.

"We've been cruising since March with no issues" until August, said Schreiner. "We have a very good rain forecast for this Thursday/Friday, and fairly heavy rains coming, so [the situation] might change."

However, as everyone knows, predicting the weather is not an exact science. This is why most lines are not offering flexible cancellation policies or waiving penalties for canceling a river cruise because they're worried their itinerary will get disrupted due to low water levels.

"If you want to cancel a cruise right now in October because of low water, I will tell you, 'Sorry, we don't know if there's low water in October,'" said Schreiner. "You don't know a week or 10 days in advance what will happen with the water levels. They can go up, they can go down, rain can come in."

Ships might be able to pass through a tricky spot, like Kaub, today but not tomorrow, or can't this week but can next week. Some years, low water levels caused disruptions as early as June and some years as late as October. Just as with ocean sailings, there's always a risk that weather and river/sea conditions can impact that itinerary, and cruisers must accept that itineraries cannot be set in stone.

If you book a river cruise, you acknowledge that you might not get the exact itinerary you signed up for.

Related: Booking your first river cruise? Here's what you need to know.

You will be reimbursed

Most river cruise lines do not allow guests to cancel pre-cruise without penalty except for in the most extreme circumstances. However, you won't be entirely out of luck if your itinerary changes once you arrive at your ship.

For every day that is altered, AmaWaterways guests will get 50% of the daily rate they paid as a future cruise credit. If the whole itinerary is changed, you'll get to sail the new itinerary and receive a 100% future cruise credit to book another cruise. Tauck says it deals with compensation on a case-by-case basis.

Should your cruise be canceled, the cruise line will also offer compensation. "While we may have to make changes to some of our itineraries and have had to cancel a few voyages, impacted guests and travel partners have and will receive transparent updates and the opportunity to re-book onto another sailing," shared Ellen Bettridge, president and CEO of Uniworld, in an email to TPG.

This is not the end of river cruising

A recent CNN article proclaimed that summer droughts like the current one, plus global warming, could signal a death knell for river cruises in the near future. Schreiner does not hold with that assertion because river cruise lines simply adjust their schedules year after year for optimal weather conditions.

"Look at the Mekong — you don't cruise in May, June, July and August because it's too hot. You don't cruise in Egypt in June/July because it's too hot. In Europe, we don't cruise in January, February and into early March because it's too cold," he explained. "Maybe 10 years from now we cruise the Danube and Rhine in January/February/March and we stop in the summertime because August is too hot and there are low water areas."

"We don't know what the future will bring," he continued. "But it's clear that river cruising is not going away anytime soon."

Bottom line

This year's summer drought in Europe could affect your upcoming river cruise, but it's highly unlikely your cruise will be canceled outright.

At best, you'll do a ship swap mid-cruise, a slight inconvenience that will allow you to follow your planned itinerary. Or, you might have a few port stops changed out for new ones, or spend more time than you prefer in busses or hotels, possibly with shorter visits to destinations that now require longer bus rides.

You will, however, still get a vacation in Europe, even if it's not the one you expected.

Schreiner's advice is simple: Just go. "You will be cruising, you will be enjoying," he said. "You might see some cities you might not have expected to see and you might miss some you wanted to see. In the end, you will have a fantastic vacation and you will get a future cruise credit according to what you miss."

He added: "It's better than canceling and sitting at home and not doing anything."

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Seriously Low Water Levels Are Disrupting European River Cruises

As rivers dry up during one of the worst droughts in recent european history, river cruise passengers should be prepared for last-minute itinerary changes..

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Europe is in the midst of one of its worst droughts in recent history—how will that affect summer cruising?

Photo by Shutterstock/Travelpixs

Earlier this month, I sailed on my first-ever river cruise along the Rhine, with an itinerary that had stops in the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Switzerland. I was looking forward to exploring the many museums of Amsterdam and wandering through the vineyard villages of Alsace. But as we embarked on our journey in the Netherlands one thing became a constant during the cruise: a thick white waterline along the embankment that followed the river all the way from Germany to Switzerland. It served as a grim reminder of where the water once was, and where it is now—depressingly low.

To ensure that we could continue without running aground, our ship sailed along slowly and carefully, since parts of the Rhine are notoriously challenging to navigate because of treacherous hidden rocks, especially with so little water. While I was still able to do and see the things I had hoped to along the way, ultimately, the entire cruise itinerary ended up being affected, and we had much less time than usual in ports due to the slower pace. My Rhine River sailing with AmaWaterways was one among many river cruises this summer feeling the effects of climate change that have led to extreme drought conditions and shockingly low water levels this summer in Europe.

Across the continent, a historic heat wave and an increasingly unstable Gulf stream —which usually brings wet weather and rain to Europe—have meant that many inland waterways have effectively been drying up, affecting both cruising and trade vessels. Serbian, Romanian, and Bulgarian authorities overseeing the Danube, one of the largest and most important cruising arteries in Europe, have already started conducting emergency dredging (the removal of sediments and debris) of that river to keep vessels moving. Italy’s longest river, the Po, is also struggling and has completely disappeared in some areas as northern Italy experiences one of the worst dry spells it’s seen in 70 years.

The Upper Middle Rhine Valley is famous for its scenic vineyard views and villages. It’s also known for being treacherous to navigate.

Photo by Shutterstock/Kanuman

The Rhine, which regularly sees cargo ships carrying wheat, petrol, steel, and coal traveling up and down the river, has also been seriously affected, with water levels dipping below 16 inches in some key navigational areas. Experts warn that the river could reach critically low levels that might affect trade and cruising in mere days, potentially halting it completely. And the European Commission’s Joint Research Center warned this week that drought conditions will worsen over the coming days. During normal weather conditions on the Rhine, about 2,100 gallons of water flow through any one point per second—the flow rate is now down to zero gallons in some places, according to the Associated Press .

Though European river cruising remains in full swing this season, passengers with upcoming sailings should be prepared for possible last-minute changes to itineraries and bookings—as well as cancellations if the situation continues to worsen and ships simply cannot sail for a time—since ships rely on real-time river conditions. During times of drought, being bused between ports in trouble spots is not uncommon, nor is doing what is referred to as a “ship swap,” when passengers on two separate vessels that cannot sail any further due to low water levels will disembark, get bused to another ship, and swap ships owned by the same river cruise line so that they can continue with their itinerary.

During my trip, passengers aboard the new AmaLucia still had a wonderful time and we managed to hit all the stops on our itinerary, but at a slower pace. However, be prepared for shorter excursion times and potential ship swaps. Since low water levels are a greater concern during late summer, consider booking a cruise in the spring or early summer months to be safe.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

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Germany's Rhine is at one of its lowest levels. That's trouble for the top EU economy

Rob Schmitz

A boat is pictured on the shallow Rhine river near Oestrich Winkel, western Germany, on Aug. 12, as the water level passed below 40 centimeters, making ship transport increasingly difficult. Yann Schreiber/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A boat is pictured on the shallow Rhine river near Oestrich Winkel, western Germany, on Aug. 12, as the water level passed below 40 centimeters, making ship transport increasingly difficult.

KOBLENZ, Germany — As ship captain Stefan Merkelbach navigates his tour boat down the Rhine River through the town of Koblenz, passengers take pictures of medieval castles and fortresses along the banks. Merkelbach's got his eye, though, on the ship's depth gauge, which hovers at around 5 feet deep. In a normal year, this stretch of the river is between 10 and 20 feet deep.

"We can still sail from Koblenz, but we've got several moorings we can no longer stop at because the water is too shallow," he says. "If it continues like this, parts of the river will be shut to shipping, something I've never experienced."

Europe's hot, dry summer means that the water level on the Rhine, Western Europe's most important waterway, is at a record low, making it too shallow for many ships to pass — a problem for a country that depends on the river for 80% of its water freight. Millions of tons of commodities are moved through the Rhine and shipping disruptions are certain to further impact Germany's economy, already reeling from global supply chain disruptions and record high energy costs stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Tourist boats along the shore of the Rhine in the German city of Koblenz are still operating with the low water levels on the river, but they've had to stop mooring at several locations due to the lack of water. Rob Schmitz/NPR hide caption

Tourist boats along the shore of the Rhine in the German city of Koblenz are still operating with the low water levels on the river, but they've had to stop mooring at several locations due to the lack of water.

"It's less of a problem for us pleasure cruises, but freight ships and tankers are having problems," says Merkelbach. "Ships that usually take 2,400 metric tons of freight are now taking only 500 tons so they don't run aground — that's a massive reduction in load."

Shallow Rhine River has a devastating effect on commercial traffic

For this stretch of the river, that means more ships carrying fewer goods, drifting by a rapidly receding shore of brown rocks topped by dead grass and withering trees.

"Normally you see these huge container ships carrying goods from Rotterdam," says Adrian Schmid-Breton of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine. "But I haven't seen those ships on the river in weeks."

Adrian Schmid-Breton is a scientist at the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine. He says the low water level on the Rhine this year happens, on average, once every 20 years. But the last time this happened was four years ago. Rob Schmitz/NPR hide caption

Adrian Schmid-Breton is a scientist at the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine. He says the low water level on the Rhine this year happens, on average, once every 20 years. But the last time this happened was four years ago.

Instead, says Schmid-Breton, companies are opting to send fewer goods on more ships, leading to a more congested river. His commission estimates that low water levels happen, on average, once every 20 years. But the last time the Rhine was this low was just four years ago, in 2018. That year, Schmid-Breton says, German industry lost nearly $3 billion as goods weren't able to reach their destinations. Frankfurt Airport, one of the world's busiest, saw reduced jet fuel deliveries that year because companies weren't able to deliver fuel by boat.

This year, companies are scrambling to carry freight aboard trucks instead. But it's not enough: It would take 40 trucks to carry the grain that one barge normally could.

The Koblenz city gauge house shows the point at which the water rose to during an historic flood in the year 651. This year, there is only 5 feet of water at the deepest point in the river near Koblenz. Rob Schmitz/NPR hide caption

The Koblenz city gauge house shows the point at which the water rose to during an historic flood in the year 651. This year, there is only 5 feet of water at the deepest point in the river near Koblenz.

The flow of one of the most vital commodities, coal, is in jeopardy, and that could have severe consequences for Europe's biggest economy. "If there are problems transporting coal on the Rhine, we'll see shortages at coal-fired power plants in September, and they may not be able to generate electricity," says Guido Baldi, a researcher with the German Institute for Economic Research.

He predicts a coal shortage — in addition to ongoing global supply chain problems — will lead to Germany's economic output falling 0.5% in the third quarter. "This is particularly problematic now, as Germany attempts to wean itself off Russian gas and needs coal plants as a backup," Baldi says. "If the transport of coal is hindered, we'll see electricity shortages starting in September."

Baldi says drought, war and supply chain bottlenecks are sending Europe's biggest economy into a nosedive toward recession.

Schmid-Breton, of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine, says the environmental impact of this drought is equally bad. He says less water, that is heating up to warmer temperatures, is trouble for fish like Atlantic salmon, which were just reintroduced to the river. "Because of low water, they cannot reach their spawning sites," he says. "So they have to do emergency spawning. That means they will lose their eggs."

And with less water in the river, the concentration of pollutants rises, he adds, which will have an additional impact on every animal that lives along the river.

Schmid-Breton is encouraged by rain in the forecast this week, but he says the region will need two to three weeks of heavy, steady rain for the Rhine to return to normal — not likely, as this region heads into what is typically its driest season.

A container ship passes Pfalzgrafenstein Castle in the middle of the Rhine River in Kaub, Germany, Aug. 12. The Rhine carries low water after a long drought period. Michael Probst/AP hide caption

A container ship passes Pfalzgrafenstein Castle in the middle of the Rhine River in Kaub, Germany, Aug. 12. The Rhine carries low water after a long drought period.

Esme Nicholson contributed to this report from Berlin.

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Europe drought: Images show extremely low water levels along Rhine River as officials warn transport of goods could be affected

The waterway is a key trade route for several European countries, including Germany. It is used to ship grains, chemicals and coal by Germany.

News reporter @Amarjournalist_

Wednesday 10 August 2022 18:09, UK

Images show critically low water levels on one of Europe's biggest rivers as officials warned drought conditions could affect the transport of goods including coal and petrol.

Weeks of dry weather across Europe have drastically hit water levels on major waterways.

The drought poses a significant headache for German factories and power plants which rely on deliveries by ship along the key 1,232 km (766 mile) Rhine River.

Oxfordshire village runs dry - UK Weather latest

The waterway - one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe - runs from the Swiss Alps through Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, France and the Netherlands.

Tim Alexandrin, a spokesman for Germany's transport ministry, said: "This is particularly the case for the Rhine, whose nautical bottleneck at Kaub has very low water levels but which remains navigable for ships with small drafts."

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Authorities predict water levels at Kaub could dip below 40 centimetres on Friday and could continue to drop over the weekend.

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That is higher than the record low of 27cm in October 2018, but would mean many large ships would struggle to pass safely through the location - mid-way along the Rhine between Koblenz and Mainz.

Christian Lorenz, a spokesman for Germany logistics company HGK, said: "The situation is quite dramatic, but not as dramatic yet as in 2018."

He added that due to the lack of water, ships bringing salt from Heilbronn to Cologne that would typically carry 2,200 tonnes of cargo can only currently transport 600 tonnes.

"Of course we hope that shipping won't be halted, but we saw in 2018 that when water levels got very low the gas stations suddenly had no more fuel because ships couldn't get through."

"Normally you have more than two metres under the ship but now you only have 40 centimetres in some places," the Servia's captain Peter Claereboets said.

"And then for us the challenge is to get past those points without touching, without damaging the ship.

"Because of the low water levels, the sailing route gets narrower, and we actually start travelling like trains, in a convoy."

German authorities have begun taking steps to shift more goods traffic on to railways, Mr Alexandrin said.

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HGK and other logistics firms are having to prepare for a "new normal" when low water levels become more common.

Mr Lorenz said new ships ordered by his company will be built with a view to make them suitable for lower water levels on the Rhine.

Images show vessels stranded along sections of the river bed exposed due to the low levels of water, with people able to walk in areas that would have been underwater.

Read more from Sky News: Drought hitting nearly half of Europe Europe's drought on course to be worst for 500 years Rivers to run 'exceptionally' low in central and southern England​​​​​

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‘Very precarious’: Europe faces growing water crisis as winter drought worsens

Multiple governments warn of critical water shortages as heatwaves and lack of rain leave river systems depleted

T he scenes are rare enough in mid-summer; in early March, they are unprecedented. Lac de Montbel in south-west France is more than 80% empty, the boats of the local sailing club stranded on its desiccated brown banks.

In northern Italy , tourists can walk to the small island of San Biagio, normally reached only by boat, from the shore of Lake Garda, where the water level is 70cm (27in) lower than average. The Alps have had 63% less snow than usual.

In Germany , shallow waters on the Rhine are already disrupting barge traffic, forcing boats heading up into central Europe to load at half capacity, and in Catalonia, now short of water for three years, Barcelona has stopped watering its parks.

After its driest summer in 500 years , much of Europe is in the grip of a winter drought driven by climate breakdown that is prompting growing concern among governments over the water security for homes, farmers and factories across the continent.

A study published in January by Graz University of Technology in Austria, whose scientists used satellite data to analyse groundwater reserves, concluded that Europe has been in drought since 2018 and its water situation was now “very precarious”.

Torsten Mayer-Gürr, one of the researchers, said: “I would never have imagined that water would be a problem here in Europe, especially in Germany or Austria . We are actually getting problems with the water supply here. We have to think about this.”

The World Weather Attribution service said last year northern hemisphere drought was at least 20 times more likely because of human-caused climate change, warning that such extreme periods would become increasingly common with global heating.

Andrea Toreti, a senior scientist at the European Drought Observatory, said: “What is unusual is the recurrence of these events, because we already experienced a severe to extreme drought a year ago, and another one in 2018.

“Clearly, in some parts of Europe, the lack of precipitation and the current deficit is such that it won’t be easy for water levels to recover before the start of the summer,” Toreti told Euronews . Experts have said the coming months will be crucial.

A map of current droughts in Europe from the EU’s Copernicus programme shows alerts for low rainfall or soil moisture in areas of northern and southern Spain, northern Italy and southern Germany, with almost all of France affected.

France recently recorded 32 days without significant rainfall, the longest period since records began in 1959, and the state forecaster Météo-France has said little or no precipitation of note is expected until at least the end of the month.

Simon Mitelberger, a climatologist, said about 75% less rain had fallen across France last month than usual for February, continuing a year-long trend. Nine of the past 12 months had seen rainfall up to 85% below the norm, he told France Info news.

France’s CNRS scientific research centre said that by comparing droughts before 1945 and since 1945 it had established that last summer’s drought was caused by anthropogenic climate change and this winter’s showed “the same characteristics”.

Local authorities in all seven of the country’s major river basins have been ordered to start enforcing water restrictions as the government works on a crisis plan to tackle a shortage that it has said will inevitable lead to “water scarcity problems” this year.

The minister for ecological transition, Christophe Béchu, warned that France would have to cope with up to 40% less water in coming years, adding that the country was already on a “state of alert” and restrictions in some areas were fully justified.

“The situation is more serious than this time last year,” Béchu said. People in four southern départements have been barred from filling swimming pools or washing their cars, while farmers must cut their water consumption by up to half.

Echoing the terms he used to describe the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, called this week for a “sobriety plan” to save water and warned the “time of abundance” had come to an end.

“All of us are going to have to be careful,” he said. Among the government’s plans are modernising agricultural irrigation, which represents up to 80% of consumption in summer, boosting wastewater recycling, and reducing loss due to leakage.

All of Spain has been in drought since January 2022, but water supplies in Catalonia have fallen so low that authorities this week introduced laws including a 40% reduction in water used for agriculture, a 15% reduction for industrial uses, and a cut in the average daily supply per inhabitant from 250 litres to 230 litres.

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Rubén del Campo, a spokesperson for the state meteorological agency Aemet , said the situation showed no sign of improving over the coming months. The worst affected areas were the northern third of the country and parts of Andalucía and the south of Castilla-La Mancha, he said.

Asked about the role of global heating, Del Campo said that while drought had always been a natural phenomenon because of Spain’s geographical location, a change had been seen over recent decades.

“We’ve noticed the droughts in the south of Spain are lasting longer and that, when the rains come, they’re shorter but more intense,” he said. “It’s badly spaced out. When the rains are hard, they’re less useful for refilling reservoirs and watering the fields, which need gentler rain.”

In January, Spain’s environment minister, Teresa Ribera, warned of the inescapable reality of the climate emergency , saying the country had to be prepared for “much longer cycles of extreme drought and periods of incredibly tough flooding”.

The average amount of available water had fallen by 12% since 1980, Ribera noted, and projections suggested a further drop of between 14% and 40% by 2050. “We can’t depend solely on rain when it comes to guaranteeing the supply of drinking water or water for economic uses,” she said.

Spain’s socialist-led government in January approved a €23bn (£20bn) plan to protect and improve water supplies by investing in areas including infrastructure, water treatment and purification, irrigation modernisation and flood-risk management.

The government in Italy is reportedly preparing to create a taskforce including a “super-commissioner” and officials from several ministries to tackle the effects of severe drought, which is already starting to impact agriculture.

Water levels in the Po, the country’s longest river that nourishes several northern and central regions, were 61% down on the February norm. While recent rainfall has alleviated some pressure, the environment and energy security minister, Gilberto Pichetto, warned last week water rationing may be required in some areas.

“The problem of drought is serious,” he told Corriere della Sera. “We’ve only had half the average amount of snow. We found ourselves with waterways, lakes and reservoirs in a very critical state, and hydroelectric basins in extreme difficulty.”

Italy’s national research council (CNR) said last month that rainfall in the north was 40% lower than average in 2022, adding that the absence of precipitation since the beginning of 2023 had been “significant”.

A leading meteorologist, Luca Mercalli, said Italy would only avoid a repeat of last summer’s extreme drought if there was plentiful rainfall during spring. “It’s the last hope,” he said. “If we have no spring rain for two consecutive years, that would be the first time this has ever happened.”

In central and northern Europe, lack of precipitation has so far mainly been seen in Alpine regions where winter tourists have faced snowless skiing pistes .

In the state of Tirol, Austria , for example, the towns of Landeck and Reutte have measured their driest winter on record, while in parts of Switzerland municipalities have again had to urge citizens to save water, after already doing so last summer.

But scientists warn the impact of the winter drought will most likely be felt in Germany and Austria’s lower regions in the coming months: less snow over the winter means less meltwater to feed the rivers of central Europe in the warmer months.

“Today’s snow deficit could potentially become tomorrow’s summer drought,” said Manuela Brunner, a professor in hydrology and climate impacts at Zurich’s ETH university.

The meteorologist Josef Eitzinger, of Vienna’s Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, told the dpa news agency: “If this spring’s weather is similar to that of 2022, dryness will increase significantly.” He pointed to historically low water levels at Lake Neusiedl, a key water source straddling the border between Austria and Hungary.

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The Rhine, a Lifeline of Germany, Is Crippled by Drought

By Christopher F. Schuetze

• Nov. 4, 2018

KAUB, Germany — Just after sunrise, Capt. Frank Sep turned to his ship’s radio for the defining news of his day: the water level in Kaub, the shallowest part of the middle section of the Rhine, Germany’s most important shipping route.

The news was bad, as it so often is these days.

One of the longest dry spells on record has left parts of the Rhine at record-low levels for months, forcing freighters to reduce their cargo or stop plying the river altogether.

Parts of the Danube and the Elbe — Germany’s other major rivers for transport — are also drying up. Some inland ports are idle, and it is estimated that millions of tons of goods are having to be transported by rail or road.

With castles and vineyards dominating the river banks near Kaub, just five miles from the Lorelei rock, named for a siren who was said to lure sailors to their deaths, it would be easy to forget how important the area is to German commerce. It is roughly halfway between the inland ports of Koblenz and Mainz, and virtually all freight shipped from seaports in the Netherlands and Belgium to the industrial southwest of Germany passes through here.

On a day in late October, Captain Sep learned that the river was just 10 inches deep. That meant the water in the man-made shipping channel dredged near the center of the river was about five feet deep, down from an average of about 11 feet. Even with cargo at one-third of its usual weight, his 282-foot freighter Rex-Rheni — the King Rhine — would have only inches of water under its hull.

“I’ve never experienced so little water here,” said Captain Sep, who has been working on the river since 1982, the last 22 years on the Rex-Rheni. “It’s becoming so low that it’s very difficult for ships to pass.”

An exceptionally dry summer has caused havoc across Europe. A trade group in Germany put farmers’ losses at several billion dollars. The German chemical giant BASF had to decrease production at one of its plants over the summer because the Rhine, whose water it uses to cool production, was too low.

Gas stations in the region that rely on tankers to deliver fuel from refineries in the Netherlands have run out. And the wreck of De Hoop, a Dutch freighter that sank after an explosion in 1895 and is normally submerged, now lies exposed on the Rhine’s banks.

About half of Germany’s river ferries have stopped running, according to the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration, and river cruise ships are having to transport their passengers by bus for parts of their journey. Thousands of fish in the Swiss section of the river died because of the heat and low oxygen levels.

There are reasons to believe such weather will become more frequent with a warming climate.

“Our research shows an increase in instability,” said Hagen Koch, who studies rivers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research . “The extremes are going to happen more often.”

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of the Rhine to life and commerce in the region.

“It’s simply the most important river in Germany,” said Martin Mauermann, head of the hydrology and water management section of the federal body responsible for waterways. “It’s like the thick branch in the middle of the tree.”

Roughly 80 percent of the 223 million tons of cargo transported by ship in Germany each year travels the Rhine, which links the country’s industrial heartland to Belgium, the Netherlands and the North Sea. An exact tally of how much is being diverted to rail and road is not yet available, but “it is a significant number,” said Martyn Douglas of the German Federal Environment Agency.

While most freight can simply — albeit often more expensively — be put on rails or wheels, some cannot. A shipping company, Kübler Spedition , specializes in heavy and oversize freight that cannot be carried for more than a couple of miles on roads. Because ships carrying the heavy components of a wind farm can no longer reach the company’s terminal in Mannheim, Kübler’s storage area lies empty.

“It’s effectively stopped the building of the wind farm entirely,” said Robert Mutlu, who runs the terminal.

Just before reaching Kaub, Captain Sep slowed his ship to a crawl. The forward thrust generated by a propeller drives a ship deeper, so a slower ship is slightly higher in water. The reduced speed would also make pulling the boat off rocks easier, if the worst were to happen.

The number on the Rex-Rheni’s digital depth meter dropped, and dropped some more, eventually showing only about 25 centimeters, or 10 inches, of water below the ship.

It passed the Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, which resembles a large, stationary boat in the river. Built in the 14th century to collect tolls, it has a windowless foundation to withstand the Rhine’s high water levels. Today, the foot of the building is at least five feet above water.

The Rhine’s flow relies not just on annual rainfall, but also on enormous long-term reserves of water in the Alps. Melting snow and glaciers, as well as Lake Constance, feed the upper parts of the river, but with climate change, those reserves are lower, Dr. Koch said.

The shipping lane could be made deeper, but that would take years, if not decades, and would cost millions. And even if that were to succeed, it would remove only one bottleneck on a river that is just starting to show how many trouble spots it has.

“Low water events will be more frequent,” said Mr. Douglas of the Federal Environment Agency, “and at the same time the Rhine fleet is becoming bigger and heavier.”

When the Rex-Rheni was built in 1966, it would have been considered a big ship. Today, at least under normal conditions, it would be one of the smaller ones on the Rhine, where it is not unusual to see a 600-foot freighter capable of hauling 6,000 tons — when there is at least 12 feet of water.

A clause in German shipping contracts that allows ships to set their own prices when the water level is below about 32 inches at Kaub makes such trips worthwhile for smaller boats, even if their holds aren’t full. But the clause cannot make the river deeper.

“We need the level in the Bodensee to rise,” said Martin Deymann, using the German name for Lake Constance. His 35 ships stopped transporting goods along the middle section of the Rhine last month. “We need rain, and hopefully it will come before it becomes cold and it comes down as snow.”

Follow Christopher F. Schuetze on Twitter: @CFSchuetze .

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Avalon Waterways’ European River Cruises: a New View of the Old World

Perfectly balance elegance and ease as you set sail down some of the world’s most legendary waters.

Embark on an Avalon Waterways river cruise and immerse yourself in the essence of each destination along the world's greatest rivers. Explore the tranquil villages of Germany, the enchanting retreats of Austria and Hungary, the majestic cliffs and fortresses of France, and the vibrant hues of Holland. Avalon brings the world—and dreams—to life.

Cruising Elevated 

Avalon Waterways goes against the current, delivering boundless exploration with everything from unexpected in-port experiences—for example, a guided kayaking tour of Amsterdam's storied canals—to a dynamic selection of “Special Interest” cruises highlighting some of the continent’s most beloved features. These include Holland’s spring tulips, the beers of Belgium and Germany, and Christmastime markets along the Danube .  

Wide Open Wonder—Better by Design  

Then there are the vessels themselves: Avalon Waterways operates a fleet of 13 suite ships across Europe’s many rivers, with each vessel featuring exclusive Panorama Suites. These spacious rooms—which make up 80 percent of each individual ship—are specially configured to highlight every view, with beds facing a floor-to-ceiling panoramic window so that the outside world is right there at your disposal, without ever missing a moment. Larger suites also result in fewer passengers, adding to the ship’s intimacy, while onboard farm-to-fork fare includes a bevy of regional flavors, from mushroom schnitzel with tartar sauce to Burgundy snails served up with fresh baguette.

Amazing, Included  

Avalon Waterways’ growing list of itineraries showcase Europe’s most storied and fabled channels such as the Danube, the continent’s second-longest river and a former frontier for the Roman Empire, and the Seine, which stretches 485-miles from Dijon, France , to the English Channel. Not only is this river central to French culture and identity, but its captivating banks have inspired many an Impressionist painting, including Claude Monet’s 1869 masterpiece, Bathers at La Grenouillere.  

One of the newest river offerings includes cruises along Portugal’s enchanting Douro River , which flows among verdant forests, steep hills, and terraced vineyards,—meandering through the heart of one of the oldest wine-producing regions on earth—as well as the Garonne River, a grape-lined waterbody in France’s Bordeaux region, brimming with quaint country hamlets and famous wine cellars.  

Sail Away from the Ordinary 

Each Avalon Waterways cruise features an average of 23 excursions, all arranged into three categories—Active, Discovery, and Classic. This way travelers can tailor a trip to fit individual needs and interests.  

Take the eight-day European river cruise, The Rhine & Moselle: Canals, Vineyards, which sails from Luxembourg to Holland along the Moselle River, stopping at picturesque towns nestled among vineyards and through spectacular cliff-hugging scenery. One port-of-call is Cochem, where you can choose between all three categories of excursions

If it’s a bit of exercise you’re after, book the “Active” hike above Cochem to see its medieval architecture through a bird’s-eye view. Looking for something educational? The “Discovery” option includes a visit to an early-19th century mill, where travelers can experience the traditional art of mustard making. Along with a guided walk through Cochem’s winding streets, the “Classic” excursion also includes a visit to the hilltop Reichsburg Castle, a neo-gothic masterpiece situated 330-feet above the river.  

There’s also Avalon Waterways’ eight-day Vide Portugal: Vineyards & Villages cruise along the splendid Douro River, which winds its way among family farms, sleepy villages, and a world of cultural treasures, including the hauntingly melodic Fado music. Day two of the itinerary includes a visit to the country’s greater Porto region. Whether it’s picking up a bicycle from the ship’s Adventure Center and pedaling along the riverbanks, opting for a Discovery excursion to a Romanesque monastery to savor the beatific sounds of a choir-sung Gregorian Chant, or enjoying a full-day guided tour of Braga, an elegant town northeast of Porto that’s often regarded as the country’s religious center, how you spend the day is entirely up to you.  

Coming Full-Circle  

Avalon Waterways offers a myriad of ways to see the Old World of Europe anew—whether it’s through one of our Avalon Choice excursions, a special interest cruise, or a panoramic window. It’s all yours to choose.   

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