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Severe low water disrupts freight shipping to Luxembourg

After months of exceptionally low rainfall, water levels on the Rhine have fallen to extreme lows at numerous points along the river. For freight shipping, this means ships must carry lighter loads, more trips are required, and transport costs are rising. Effects of these proceedings are now being felt as far as Luxembourg, with experts warning that such conditions are likely to become more frequent in the future.

Marc Daniel Heintz of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) notes that this year’s situation is highly unusual. Since 2000, there have been four major low water events: in 2003, 2018, 2022, and now in 2026. According to Heintz, this year’s episode is the most extreme to date.

A key reference point for the shipping industry is Kaub, on the Middle Rhine. Last week, water levels there reached minus six centimetres, Heintz shared. While this does not mean the Rhine has dried up at that location, it does mean that ships are navigating in water just 1.07 metres deep, which is far less than is needed for large cargo vessels.

Also today

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• Police seek witnesses after hit-and-run between Goeblange and Simmerschmelz.
• UK court quashes five ex-traders' Libor rate rigging convictions.
• France has suspended police use of stun grenades at student-led protests
• US woman who survived botched execution is conscious, speaking: lawyers announce.

On air

The Muller Pneu give away continues and Tom tortured John with another test: this time seeing if he knows his distances from Luxembourg to major cities.

Figure of the day

2027 budget pushes public debt towards 30% of GDP

• In a period marked by uncertainty, the Luxembourg government has chosen to invest and provide relief for households and businesses, Minister of Finance Gilles Roth told MPs on Wednesday as he introduced the 2027 state budget under the banner "For the people, for upswing". The major tax reform, however, is set to take effect only in 2028, meaning it is not yet included in next year’s financial plans.
• Likewise, a new pay agreement for state employees is not yet factored into the budget, as negotiations are still underway. The budget allocates €212 million to fund the previously negotiated €200 increase in the minimum wage, as well as a range of tax incentives for property buyers and state investment in housing.
  

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