rhine water levels 2022
I'm on Basel to Amsterdam embarking 8/30. But that is only of concern for the commercial shipping industry as it affects the loading capacity of vessels. In a separate development, officials in Germany and Poland voiced growing concern about a mass die-off of fish in the River Oder, with the German environmental minister, Steffi Lemke, on Friday warning of a catastrophe. The Black Forest will see some dangerous snow drifts, while we. I am prepared for temps around 50F and rainso anything else will be a pleasant surprise. Started August 27, 2021, By I also brought lightweight long-underwear and wool socks on river cruises in August; mornings and evenings on the upper (open) decks can be chilly. Businesses along the river say drought means they are on the verge of having to shut production. When you are on a river cruise it is a nice change to cross the river from one bank to another and get a different perspective of the place you are docking at. We add and shed layers as the temperatures fluctuate throughout the day. Weird when you think about it, a country that has a substantial area as officially being under sea level. It will get hotter again shortly after the clouds have passed through. Greetings from the Rhine valley. The river was closed to shipping but is now open gain for upstream sailing. This coupled with capacity issues on German railways has meant that Switzerland is struggling with supplies of oil products, mainly diesel/heating oil, according to Avenergy Suisse, the landlocked countrys organization for fuel importers. If it is like that for more than 48 hours at the time of your cruise, I shall get annoyed with those that make the weather. . When I became a snowbird I disposed of my silk long underwear and now I regret that. Expected rain in the coming days is forecast to increase levels in the Rhine by 50-to-80 centimetres in the coming days, a spokesperson for the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration said, adding they would have to climb by 1-1.5 metres to reach levels typical for this time of the year. Rhine water levels fall to new low as Germany's drought hits shipping Water levels fall to below 40cm on parts of key route for transporting fuel, wheat and other commodities The water. But I will get to that another time. The ships I have been on were busy but pleasant. Thats terrible! On the Rhine so far 135m barges are still managing round the bends at the Lorelei rock. But now, back to ferries and an amateur video better than I can take. shipping disruptions due to low levels in busy waterways. So far, I have not had the displeasure of that. "And then for us the challenge is to get past those points without touching, without damaging the ship.". Plans are under way for the construction of low-lying barges and ships as well as for the deepening of the Rhine, and better forecasting of water levels as a result of the 2018 crisis, but these measures are slow in being realised. Hope you find a nice replacement holiday and that Uniworld is good to you with refunds. 2022-07-19T10:19:06Z A bookmark. For outerwear I'm bringing a raincoat with removable lining. Anyway, in this logistics article they say and quote: "Closure of the German waterway was announced late on Friday as water levels on the Kaub gauge hit 37cm 41cm is necessary for operations" and "Barge operator Contargo said: For reasons of safety we shall largely discontinue our navigation on the Upper and Middle Rhine." The first is obviously not correct as barges are still sailing even as I write, but the second I have read in German myself. Fully loaded ships generally need a level of at least about 1.5 meters, but a persistent lack of rain and high temperatures have led to low water levels. One German business article with a nice shot of the bridge at Emmerich: https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/handel-konsumgueter/niedrigwasser-neuer-rekord-tiefstand-rhein-pegel-bei-emmerich-sinkt-auf-null/28602542.html. The low water levels on the key shipping artery for Germany's main industrial areas have already affected freight, even though it is ultimately up to shipping companies to decide which vessels,under what loads, can still navigate the waters. Not sure you'll do much cruising there. To the south, Switzerland is releasing 245,000 cubic metres of its oil reserves to plug supply constraints caused by the low Rhine levels. On Tuesday, the water level at Kaub fell to its lowest since 2018, a year that saw widespread disruption for key industrial users. In a word: zero. The ferry is unable to sail. But no low water normally. The Rhine valley is on storm warning, there has been quite a bit of damage, mainly fallen trees. However on the task of finding some replacement. While vessels were still able to travel on the Rhine last week, companies were forced to reduce their load, and capacity for switching transport to rail or road is limited. Spot prices for a liquid tanker barge from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe south of Kaub were unchanged on the day at about 110 euros a tonne on Friday, but up 16 euros this week and up from only around 20 euros a tonne in June, brokers said. This is the stricken "Siebengebirge": http://www.faehre-honnef.de/. CC Help Jenn Water stress will become the new normal: River levels will fall to new lows, and two-thirds of companies globally will face substantial water risks to their operations or supply chains. Yes, that helps! To take a snapshot of the situation in Germany, in Cologne, the largest city on the Rhine, areas of the river have been reduced to a mere trickle. On 1/31/2022 at 2:57 PM, notamermaid said: On 2/26/2022 at 9:05 AM, notamermaid said: On 2/20/2022 at 7:50 PM, notamermaid said: 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Rhine water levels 2022 and similar topics, Forum Assistance - Welcome to Cruise Critic, Announcement: Upgrade Your Horizon ~ Sponsored by Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Hans-Heinrich Witte, the president of the General Directorate for Waterways, told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung he expected that the Rhine would not be closed for shipping this summer. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. The long term forecast still suggests we may see the 78cm at Kaub again next week. The river is an important tributary for the transport of raw materials including grain, chemicals, minerals, coal and oil products. Make Sure Your Voice Is Heard! All sides are working flat out to find the reasons for this mass die-out and minimise potential further damage., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. We leave the US next month for an April 3rd departure from Amsterdam. While most of the time river cruises operate exactly as planned, weather conditions may result in high or low water levels which impact a ship's itinerary and, on occasion, render a ship unable to sail at all. Very excited for our upcoming cruise. I have mentioned ship accidents. Tastes change and so do our expectations so we get a sparkling new ship to cruise in and the companies can flaunt it without the cost of a complete new vessel. REUTERS/Benjamin Westhoff. Or use a CroisiEurope ship on the Rhine and hope for the best? After a hot and dry summer, this week's weather forecast for Germany appeared to offer some relief. The vessel sails from the right bank to Rolandseck on the left bank and back of course. The island cuts the river in two here. The rain that came with it has made the rivers rise quite fast. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that power plants at Mannheim and Karlsruhe in Germany, operated by Grosskraftwerk Mannheim and EnBW, have been struggling to source coal because of the shallow water just as the country frets that Russia wont restart flows on a key gas pipeline. By the way, Arosa have posted online which cruises right now on the Danube are running. Meanwhile, in the UK the source of the River Thames was reported on Thursday to have dried up for the first time since records began due to a lack of rainfall. That is fascinating about the sister ships. Copyright 19952022 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos. The running traffic has right of way and the ferry always needs to wait for ships to pass. Usually warm days, a valley in full bloom and long evenings with time for cocktails at sunset on the sun deck. Just caught on web camera coming upstream out of the Rhine Gorge and approaching Rdesheim, the MS Vivienne: Remember you can look at this yourself on: https://heimatzeithotels.panomax.com/bingen. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Along the length of the river there are passenger ferries and car ferries, they may be used mainly by tourists or as is the case with the car ferries, they can be part of a regular commuter service. Indoor lower deck was packed with people eating and if you were stuck there you could only see the river bank. End of March will already see many budding trees and sailing upstream from Amsterdam into the warm microclimates of the Rhine valley should give you a tiny bit more Spring each day if the weather is sunny. Where ever your trips may take you this year - safe travels. What has already been a year from hell for Germany, which is suffering energy hyperinflation as a result of Europes sanctions on Russia, and which is facing the biggest crisis the country has every had according to the president of the German employers association, is about to get even worse as the declining water level of the Rhine river, which has historically been a key infrastructure transit artery across Germany, continues to fall and as it does, the flow of commodities to inland Europe is starting to buckle threatening to make an already historic crisis even worse. According to Riverlake, further decreases in loading volumes for barges hauling middle distillates from ARA to inland destinations beyond Kaub are expected in coming days. In 2018, Germany entered a brief recession, sparked in part by low water levels on the Rhine. But come Spring life will surely get better. The Kaub gauge is located around 50 kilometers downstream from the city of Mainz. The majority of nearly 200 million tons of cargo shipped on German rivers from coal to car parts, food to chemicals is transported on the Rhine. A barge loading in the energy hub of Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (or ARA), which can haul 2.5k tons when fully laden, is restricted to taking on about 800 tons if sailing to destinations beyond Kaub. Low water levels usually occur much later in the year, but reflect the drought conditions affecting large parts of Europe. I was going to suggest silk long johns etc there lightweight do not show your wearing them under anything and pack to almost nothing. Shipping issues may also affect the upcoming grain harvest in Germany, with the Raiffeisen Association telling public broadcaster SWR that storage areas in southern Germany are already full and the grain cannot be transported away in sufficient quantities. Downstream is not possible as the double-width barge is too dangerous to pass. For example, the Loreley Star: A ship of 11.20m width and 50.2m length with 600 people on board?? Fully loaded ships generally need a level of at least about 1.5 meters, but a persistent lack of rain and high temperatures have led to low water levels. German authorities are bracing for further shipping disruptions due to low levels in busy waterways. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Chemicals group BASF (BASFn.DE) said it could not rule out production cuts if low water disrupts logistics. Creation. Economists estimate the disruption could knock as much as half a percentage point off Germany's overall economic growth this year. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Then several hours later it has officially been cancelled. Longships' maximum draft is just about always listed as 2 meters and it seems that they operate as if their minimum operational draft is not less than about 1.8m. We normally have more than 50F or 10 Celsius during the end of March, at least on some days. One person was injured and three cars on the ferry suffered damage. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. "Cars are just too heavy at the moment," Dries said. Obviously hitting the German headlines and being a photo op par excellence, the zero appearing on the gauge at Emmerich has attracted attention beyond our borders. Oil prices steadied on Friday, but fell for the week on a stronger U.S. dollar and fears that an economic slowdown would weaken crude demand. In the east of the country, the precipitation might take another day or so to arrive as it rolls across the continent. 08-30-2022. We also received an email prior to our trip informing of same. Two coal power plants have already been affected, unable to run at maximum because barges cannot bring in full loads. Because of the tight coal market and low Rhine levels making it hard to deliver the fuel, only 65% of Germanys coal capacity will be available in coming months, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights analyst Sabrina Kernbichler. Oil prices steadied on Friday, but fell for the week on a stronger U.S. dollar and fears that an economic slowdown would weaken crude demand. This being a low lying area, there are no villages near the river and it is a landscape still dominated by the former meanders of the Rhine (it was put in an "artificial" bed during the 19th century) and small streams that are still present. But who knows, there is hope for good signs coming from Berlin. The levels of the Rhine River fell to a new low on Friday due to the ongoing drought in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, further restricting the distribution of coal, petrol, wheat and other commodities amid a looming energy crisis. It is not a worry that much along the large rivers, they are going from just below mean to high water or mild flooding. But, by next week, levels at the Kaub gauge, the most important water level measurement station in the Middle Rhine,could slip to 30 centimeters, potentially bringing traffic to a standstill. It is an important aspect on the Elbe according to AnhaltER1960. By ", Lorenz said the low-point was a practical capacity of just 300 tons in 2018, and"we're approaching that once again.". . Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. The ship switch hasnt affected our enjoyment at all. We are seeing cancellations of events everywhere. A river ship can usually carry about 1,000 tonnes of wheat, for example, which would require about 40 lorries to shift the same quantity of goods. praying for rain!! Beginning of April can bring anything really. All in all, it has been a mild winter so far and while the river had a spell of high water levels at the beginning of the month, it has been uneventful as regards flooding so far. Lots of rain, no rain, winds, no winds, normal water levels, flooding. [1/6]A ferry cruises past the partially dried riverbed of the Rhine river in Bingen, Germany, August 9, 2022. German coal importers meanwhile hope river levels will rise soon to allow them to meet a demand that, as the war in Ukraine grinds on, shows no sign of abating. I am glad we let them book the flights for us. Carnival is late this year, late February, but that does not help. This should be an interesting thread to read . That is then normally referring to what I have mentioned above. In an emailed statement, BASF said it had implemented an early warning system for low water levels and is also chartering and developing ships suitable for shallower waters. We are spending 4 nights in Amsterdam when the cruise ends. The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captured part of the Rhine River near Cologneshowing the stark difference between August 2021 and August 2022. On Thursday the overall level was 1.03 metres with experts saying there was little chance of change in the coming weeks and the level could fall even further due to lack of rainfall. All the physics. Helps if you are informed and educated (thanks to everyone on this forum) and go with the flow. That is where there is one way traffic regulated with traffic lights. This is bad news for a country whose biggest energy utilities are starting to drain natgas reserves as a result of the halt in Nord Stream 1 shipments, jeopardising millions of Germans with freezing should the country fail to restock fully ahead of the winter. Photograph: Low water level on the Rhine River in Cologne, Germany on July 19, 2022. . Reporting by Rene Wagner, Tom Kaeckenhoff and Christoph Steitz; Editing by Miranda Murray and Barbara Lewis, Putin: Russian military-industrial might makes victory in Ukraine 'inevitable', Berlin will allow exports of German tanks to Ukraine if U.S. sends its tanks -source, Berlin sets condition for U.S. on exports of German tanks to Ukraine -source, Russia's Lavrov compares West's approach to Russia with Hitler's 'Final Solution', Factbox: How top Mafia boss Messina Denaro escaped justice for 30 years, Davos 2023: China recovery could be very quick -IMF's Gopinath, All eyes on Germany when defense leaders meet on arming Ukraine, Analysis: Germany's new defence minister faces pressure on tanks, army upgrade, Analysis: BOJ has markets bracing for more bond, FX turmoil as shift seen inevitable, See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and.. 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