Low water levels push up shipping costs on Europe's rivers amid heatwave
As much of Europe swelters in hot temperatures, water levels in its main rivers have fallen. This is affecting shipping along the Rhine – one of Europe's key waterways – south of Duisburg and Cologne in Germany, including the choke point of Kaub, forcing vessels to sail about half full.
Rainfall over the weekend caused only a moderate rise in water levels, according to commodity traders.
Shallow water has prompted ship operators to impose surcharges on freight rates to compensate for vessels not sailing fully loaded, increasing costs for cargo owners. Traders told Reuters that loads that are normally transported on one vessel were being carried on several barges.
Most of the nearly 200 million tons of cargo shipped on German rivers each year – from coal to car parts, grains and food to chemicals – is transported on the Rhine, the second longest river in central and western Europe after the Danube.
Unusually low water levels on the Danube in Hungary are affecting shipping and agriculture, as temperatures peaked at 35C in Budapest last week. This means cargo ships must leave behind more than half of their loads and can only operate at 30-40% capacity, Attila Bencsik, the deputy president of the Hungarian Shipping Association, said.
In Poland, the water level in the Vistula, the country's longest river, has fallen to its lowest ever recorded level in Warsaw as temperatures stayed above 30C for a prolonged spell and there has been little rainfall.
Three years ago, German companies faced supply bottlenecks and production problems after a drought and heatwave led to unusually low water levels on the Rhine.
That summer, the French energy supplier EDF had to temporarily reduce output at its nuclear power stations on the Rhône and Garonne rivers as heatwaves pushed up their temperatures, restricting its ability to use their water to cool the plants.
More rain is forecast in Germany in the coming days, which could raise water levels.
Sign up to Business Today
Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning
after newsletter promotion
The lack of rainfall is causing problems elsewhere. In Yorkshire, water reservoirs have plunged. Data released by Yorkshire Water, which has more than 5 million customers, showed that levels have dropped further from 63% recorded in May to 55.8% in June – significantly below the average (81.9%) for this time of year.
Reservoirs are close to half full, with most of the summer still ahead. Yorkshire's reservoirs have been declining since late January amid the driest spring for 132 years in the county and England's warmest June on record. During warm weather, water usage usually increases, which further affects reservoir levels. Customers used almost 1.5bn litres on 30 June – 200m litres above Yorkshire Water's typical daily output.
Another UK water company, Severn Trent, has urged its 8 million customers to be 'mindful of their water use'. It said there was less water in reservoirs and rivers and while there was no plan for a hosepipe ban, it remained an option.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Seven counties under a hosepipe ban: What does it mean?
Counties Cork, Waterford, Tipperary, and Wexford will be placed under a Water Conservation Order, commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban, by Uisce Éireann. This ban comes into effect for the four counties (excluding Cork City) from Saturday. The orders will be in effect for seven and a half weeks, until September 16th. Advertisement These are in addition to the three existing Water Conservation Orders, which remain in place for Mullingar, Co Westmeath; Milford, Co Donegal; and Kells-Oldcastle, Co Meath. The hosepipe ban in these three counties will remain in place until August 4th after being extended. But what is a hosepipe ban, why are they needed, and what steps should you take to conserve water? Hosepipe ban A hosepipe ban prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities, for example watering gardens attached to a business premises. Advertisement Uisce Éireann is appealing to all customers, regardless of whether their supply is affected by a hosepipe ban, to be mindful of their water usage, as a significant number of supplies around the country remain under pressure. Uisce Éireann said the hosepipe ban has been issued in a bid to safeguard these water supplies for essential purposes following a sharp increase in demand across the affected counties. "This has put increased pressure on rivers and other water sources supplying these areas, many of which are at historically low levels following a drier than normal autumn, winter and spring. "In recent weeks, Uisce Éireann has been putting in place a number of measures to maintain and protect these supplies, including enhanced leakage repair works, tankering to reservoirs, pressure management and public water conservation campaigns in an effort to reduce demand to sustainable levels." Advertisement Asset strategy manager with Uisce Éireann, Mairead Conlon, said the past 12 months have been drier than normal when compared to the long-term average. While recent rainfall has brought some respite, it will take much longer for all supplies to recover, she said. "The situation is compounded by recent increased demand in the South of the country which is associated with warm weather, and other factors such as tourist activity in some areas. As a result we have almost 50 supplies which are currently in drought status. "This includes many supplies across counties Waterford, Tipperary, Wexford and Cork County in particular, in addition to the three supplies for which Water Conservation Orders were issued earlier this year and remain in place, namely Mullingar, Co Westmeath; Milford, Co Donegal; and Kells-Oldcastle, Co Meath." Advertisement Key messages and tips Conlon said Uisce Éireann is reminding all customers to be mindful of their use of water so that supplies can be protected, especially in areas where water resources are under pressure. She highlighted that using a hosepipe for one hour is the equivalent of the daily water usage of an average family and this is generally a non-essential use of water. 'There are lots of helpful tips for conserving water on but the key messages are to leave the hose and the pressure washer in the shed; reuse household water for the garden; and take shorter showers." Uisce Éireann water-saving tips: Leave the hose in the shed: Drop the hose during the summer months. Use a rose head watering can to water your plants instead of a hose or sprinkler. Running a hose for just one hour uses as much water as a family would typically need in an entire day; Bucket and sponge for your car: Using a bucket and sponge to wash your car can save hundreds of litres of water compared to using a hose or power washer; Turn off the tap: Brushing your teeth with the tap running wastes up to six litres of water per minute. Turning it off while brushing can reduce that to just one litre; Switch to a shower: Showers use about half the amount of water as baths. Invest in water saving appliances such as water efficient taps and shower heads; Shorter showers: With the average shower using seven litres of water per minute by turning your five-minute shower into four minutes, you could save up to seven litres of water per day; Fully load your appliances: Always ensure your dishwasher and washing machine are fully loaded before use. A typical washing machine uses approximately 65 litres of water, and a dishwasher uses around 20 litres per cycle. By ensuring they are fully loaded, not only will you conserve water, but you will also reduce your energy bills.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Reuters
Wizz Air misses profit estimates, delays return of grounded jets
July 24 (Reuters) - Wizz Air missed first-quarter profit estimates on Thursday as the budget airline struggles with plane groundings due to problems with Pratt and Whitney engines, and warned grounded jets would return to service a year later than expected. The company's shares plunged almost 10% in early trading. It said existing problems had been compounded by "poorer than specified" performance of the GTF engines, leading to significantly lower time in service before needing an inspection. Wizz (WIZZ.L), opens new tab has struggled in recent years to compete financially with other European carriers as it grapples with the engine challenges, with the groundings limiting its ability to increase capacity to meet demand. It has issued two profit warnings in the past year. Wizz said it had 41 aircraft grounded due to GTF engine-related inspections as of June 30, and now expects the affected planes to return to the air in the financial year ending March 2027, a year later than previously predicted. "Our management team has demonstrated a high degree of adaptability in recent years when faced by severe challenges, and this year will likely continue to call on that strength as we refocus our business," CEO Jozsef Varadi said in a statement. Wizz reported an operating profit of 27 million euros ($31.8 million) for the three months to June 30, much lower than the 87 million euros projected by analysts polled by LSEG, and down 38.3% from a year ago. Wizz, founded in Hungary for eastern European travellers, expanded first into western Europe, before opening a base in Abu Dhabi six years ago, and pinning its hopes for future growth on a major expansion into the Middle East. But it announced its exit from Abu Dhabi last week, blaming recent geopolitical instability for frequent airspace closures and disruptions, which have hit travel demand and meant there was no hope for recovery at the loss-making unit. Investors took the move positively, with shares up soon after the announcement, but cautioned of tough competition in Eastern Europe. "The change should improve operational performance (by moving activity out of the harsh environments). However, it means they will have to compete far more directly with Ryanair in Eastern Europe," one budget airline investor told Reuters.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Reuters
Wizz Air misses profit estimates, delays fleet return to 2027
July 24 (Reuters) - Budget carrier Wizz Air on Thursday missed first-quarter profit estimates as it struggled with plane groundings due to issues with RTX's (RTX.N), opens new tab Pratt and Whitney engines, and pushed back the timeline for the grounded fleet to return to air to 2027. The carrier said existing issues had been compounded by "poorer than specified" performance of the GTF engines, leading to significantly lower time on wing before needing an inspection. Wizz said it had 41 aircraft grounded due to GTF engine-related inspections as of June 30, and now expects its grounded fleet to return to the air a year later than it had earlier predicted. The carrier reported an operating profit of 27 million euros ($31.78 million) for the three months to June 30, much lower than the 87 million euros projected by analysts polled by LSEG, and down 38.3% from a year ago.
