Berlin flags Rhine low-water freight issue

Germany’s chemical industry association VCI has warned that continued low water on the Rhine and other inland waterways could force chemical companies to cut production, as Berlin publicly acknowledged the freight squeeze and put a relaxation of the Sunday lorry driving ban up for review.

According to a Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) wire report dated 6 August, BASF, Evonik and Covestro use the Rhine to transport products including methanol, butane, propane and ammonia, and BASF is already shifting some Ludwigshafen freight to trucks and rail. Around 20 million tonnes of chemical products moved on German inland waterways in 2024, per the same report. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy has estimated a third-quarter economic hit of €1 billion to €2 billion ($1.15 billion to $2.3 billion), or 0.1% to 0.2% of GDP, if disruption persists.