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

https://www.npr.org/2022/08/17/ [login to see] /germany-rhine-low-water-level-shipping
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.