Rhine River Water Level Drops to Record Lows, Stranding Dutch River Cruise Ship
by Dori Saltzman
Dry riverbed due to extreme drought in Europe near Kaub, Germany. Photo: Shutterstock.com
Water levels continue to drop on the Rhine River, reaching record lows yet again and grounding a Dutch river cruise ship carrying 140 passengers. Multiple record lows and near-record low milestones have been broken throughout this past summer and into fall at various monitoring stations along the Rhine River.
The grounding of the Dutch Melody, which is operated by the Dutch Cruise Line, occurred last week near Cologne where the water levels had dropped to just under 16 inches on the gauge, leaving about 4.9 feet of navigable water depth.
As reported by Dutch News, the ship was able to continue on its journey after being assisted by another ship.
This is the second grounding of river cruise ship due to low water levels. In July, the Viking Ullur ran aground on the lower Danube River near Vidin (Bulgaria). Bulgarian Border Police were called in to help rescue and evacuate all 186 passengers from the vessel.
According to Amsterdam Experiences, which has been tracking Rhine River water levels since the low water issues began earlier this summer, the Rhine River is too shallow to sail at three of five key points: Maxau, Kaub, and Lobith. Kaub, the shallowest point along the cruise route typically taken, is at 0.06 meters on the gauge, which leaves about 3.9 feet of water in the shipping channel.
With no significant rain expected any time soon, river water levels are expected to keep dropping.
