Europe’s rivers have carried the continent’s trade for centuries, but exceptionally low water levels on major waterways, including the Rhine and Danube, are once again demonstrating just how important they remain to modern European supply chains. When water levels fall, vessels may have to reduce their loads, putting pressure on available capacity and making the reliable movement of goods more difficult. For businesses moving goods across Europe, knowing how to respond to disruption when it occurs is a positive step, but true resilience lies in being better prepared for changing conditions in the first place.

Acting on Forecasts

Our ability to anticipate disruption enables us to spot anomalies earlier than ever, and this improved forecasting can provide greater visibility of how water levels are likely to influence supply chain performance. But information alone does not keep goods moving, and the real value comes from combining these insights with transport capacity and close coordination with our customers.

If constraints can be anticipated, we're able to assess available capacity and, together with our customers, we can evaluate the options across inland waterways, rail and road. Not every shipment can simply be shifted from one mode to another, particularly when alternative capacity is also under pressure, but increased visibility creates more time to find the most appropriate solution for cargo flows.

This combination of better forecasting, integrated networks and closer collaboration means that we're better equipped to mitigate the impact of low water levels than we were just a few years ago.

A Network of Multimodal Connections

Periods of low water demonstrate why individual modes of transport should not be considered in isolation. In an integrated end-to-end network, ports, inland terminals, inland shipping, rail and road can work as interconnected parts of the same supply chain.

This means that if one part of the network experiences disruption, it's easier to understand the impact across the wider supply chain, identify available alternatives and coordinate the response with customers and transport partners.

Our integrated European network connects port operations with inland terminals along key waterways and capabilities across inland shipping, rail and road. During periods of disruption, the value of that network lies in the ability to coordinate those different elements and work with customers to keep their cargo moving as reliably as possible.

This principle extends beyond our network alone, and the more closely connected Europe's transport ecosystem becomes, the greater our collective ability to adapt to changing conditions.

Why Inland Waterways Remain Essential

The significance of Europe’s waterways extends far beyond transport capacity. Corridors such as the Rhine and Danube connect major industrial and manufacturing regions with Europe’s ports and, through them, with global markets. The resilience of these trade corridors is therefore closely linked to Europe’s ability to compete globally and maintain reliable access to international supply chains.

Flexibility, however, should not be confused with moving freight away from Europe's rivers. Inland waterways remain a vital component of resilient and sustainable European supply chains and, even during periods of low water, inland shipping continues to play an essential role in multimodal freight transport.

The objective is therefore to manage available capacity flexibly across inland waterways, rail and road, depending on conditions and customer requirements. Our connected multimodal network provides the options needed to do that while continuing to make use of inland shipping wherever possible. Beyond supply chain reliability, this also enables us to make sustainable transport choices, contributing to our wider sustainability commitments.

Building Long-Term Resilience

The current situation highlights a challenge that goes beyond the immediate response to low water. Resilient supply chains depend on strong logistics networks, but those networks also depend on high-performing infrastructure. Europe needs efficient and increasingly climate-resilient inland waterways, alongside rail, road and terminal infrastructure capable of supporting flexible multimodal transport. Removing existing bottlenecks and continuing to develop the required infrastructure will be critical if Europe's transport system is to meet the long-term needs of industry and trade.

As the demands on supply chains continue to grow, the combination of resilient infrastructure, integrated multimodal networks, better forecasting and close collaboration will become increasingly important. No logistics network can remove the challenge of exceptionally low water levels. But with earlier planning and the ability to manage cargo flexibly across different modes, we can reduce their impact on customers. That ability to adapt will be critical not only to keeping goods moving, but also to strengthening the resilience, sustainability and competitiveness of European supply chains.

Find out more about our Intermodal Terminals in Europe.