Affected by extreme weather, the water level of the Rhine River, an important trade route, continues to drop, which means that ships cannot sail with full load, transportation costs rise, and cargo prices rise as well. The continuously lowering water levels will seriously limit German crude oil and gas shipments.

According to DTG Deutsche Transport-Genossenschaft Binnenschifffahrt eG, a transportation services provider in Germany, said that a ship can transport 3,000 tons of cargo at a normal water level, but it can only carry 1,000 tons of cargo or even less if the water level drops.

Florian Röthlingshöfer, director of Swiss Rhine Ports, said the transportation of each ship will decrease by around 100 tons if the water level drops by 10 cm.

Major shipping companies such as Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said last month that they had to pass on surcharges to customers if the water level of the Rhine River drops.

Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC) also announced in June that it passed on the low water surcharge (LWS) collected by its barge operator partners on services to and from Antwerp and Rotterdam to its customers after the Rhine River’s water level fell to less than 150cm.