The German Economy Ministry said it does not expect supply disruptions due to low water levels in the Rhine. A German Economy Ministry representative told reporters.
He noted that the ministry is closely monitoring the situation and is in contact with all interested parties. The Economy Ministry quoted a German Transport Ministry representative as mentioning the conversion of vessels capable of operating even at lower water levels. "This, together with the creation of larger reserves at coal-fired power plants located on the Rhine, means that we currently do not expect any supply disruptions due to low water levels," he said.
When asked whether the low water levels were a problem for the Bundeswehr, a spokeswoman for the German Defense Ministry said the Defense Ministry was closely monitoring the situation. "I cannot announce any restrictions in our area of responsibility at the moment. Generally speaking, the rule applies: if there is a need for administrative assistance, we are in constant contact," she stressed, adding that such assistance is always of an additional nature, so a formal request would first be required. "To date, no such request has been received. "However, we are monitoring developments and are in dialogue on this issue, including on our options," the spokesman concluded.
The water level in the Rhine, considered one of the most important waterways in Europe and the world, has dropped significantly in recent weeks amid the drought. On August 3, the newspaper “Bild“ reported that the water level in the Rhine had fallen to a historic low, with Duisburg-Rurort, Düsseldorf and Cologne registering record lows. As noted by Thilo Schäfer, an expert at the Institute for German Economics (IW), the low water level in the Rhine increases transport costs, increases the load on road and rail transport and leads to problems with the supply chain. Experts believe that industries dependent on large volumes of raw materials, such as the chemical industry, metallurgy and oil production, are the hardest hit.