Freight carried by waterways drops to lowest level in 15 years

Freight traffic on Dutch waterways slumped during the summer drought as low river levels forced barge operators to take lighter loads.

Figures from the government statistics agency CBS show the amount of cargo taken by water was down by 19% in August compared to the previous year.

In the entire month 21.8 million tonnes were transported, the lowest level in August for 15 years. The average load per vessel was 1300 tonnes, the same as during the last drought in 2022, compared to 1500 tonnes at other times of the year.

The infrastructure ministry declared a water shortage in mid-July because of low rainfall and falling river levels. Sluice gates were closed in coastal areas to prevent seawater contaminating drinking water supplies, river cruises were cancelled or shortened and houseboats were left exposed on dried-up riverbeds.

The flow of water in the Rhine dropped to its lowest level ever recorded in August and while recent rains have eased the situation, the current volume of 700 cubic metres per second is well below the average for early September.

The drop in water-based cargo was most pronounced in cross-border traffic with Germany, with 39.7% less freight carried out of the Netherlands and 49.5% less coming in.

Goods transport also down by 9.5% in July, after volumes had been up by 6.3% in the first half of the year. More petrol and diesel was transported by water between January and June to offset the drop in supplies from the Middle East since the start of the conflict in Iran.