Many of Germany’s most economically powerful states have suspended a Sunday driving ban for lorries in an emergency move to soften the trade disruption caused by historically low water levels on the Rhine river. Water levels in Kaub, a key shipping chokepoint between Mainz and Koblenz, have fallen to record lows this week, a third below the previous all‑time low recorded in 2018. While shipping accounts for just 5 per cent of all goods transported in Germany, the constraints on the Rhine add pressure on Europe’s biggest economy as the river moves coal, crude oil, minerals and ores.

The BDB has warned that water levels could soon be so low that shipping along the full length of the Rhine becomes impossible, splitting the waterway into two. On Monday night the ferry crossing at Kaub suspended operations, pushing freight rates to near 15‑year highs. In the four western states of North Rhine‑Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Rhineland‑Palatinate and Saarland, lorries were allowed to drive on Sunday for the first time in more than three years.

Baden-Württemberg will suspend its own ban from next Sunday, keeping the measure in place until the end of August. ING warned that the Rhine disruption could dent Germany’s GDP growth by 0.3 percentage points this year.