Germany is about to be plunged into a rolling crisis that will make Britain look like an oasis

By Ben Marlow

The Basil Fawlty of today might find comfort by casting an eye across the North Sea and beyond, to Germany no less, which is about to be plunged into a rolling crisis that could make Britain look like a veritable oasis by comparison.

The Rhine, one of the mightiest rivers in the world, and the most crucial commercial artery for the continent’s largest economy, is on the verge of drying up as Europe bakes in record temperatures and suffers from a paucity of rainfall.

Plainly, this is the last thing that Berlin needs right now. It threatens to trigger a full-scale industrial shock in a nation renowned for its manufacturing prowess.

Facing a recession, and grappling with the prospect of acute winter energy shortages thanks to its shocking over-dependence on oil and gas from Vladimir Putin, a dry Rhine is something that the region’s economic powerhouse can ill-afford. Factories, agriculture, municipal buildings, commercial premises and vital civic amenities, already asked to dim their lights and use less water to save energy, all stand to be badly affected.

There are ramifications too for other parts of Europe, particularly landlocked countries in central and eastern Europe that normally get fuel via the Rhine, according to the International Energy Agency.

Crunch time came on Friday when water levels at Kaub, a key choke point west of Frankfurt, dropped below the critical 40cm mark. By Monday, they are expected to have shrunk again to a mere 34cm. At such shallow depths, the Rhine essentially becomes little more than a puddle for vessels, rendering it largely impassible for large barges that carry the lifeblood of the German economy.

It will be disastrous for trade, halting the flow of fuels, chemicals, grains, paper products and other vital raw materials to factories and agriculture from northern Europe’s three major trading ports – Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp. Analysts estimate that the transportation of 400,000 barrels a day of oil, petrol, diesel and kerosene would be disrupted.

There are ramifications too for other parts of Europe, particularly landlocked countries in central and eastern Europe that normally get fuel via the Rhine, according to the International Energy Agency.

Crunch time came on Friday when water levels at Kaub, a key choke point west of Frankfurt, dropped below the critical 40cm mark. By Monday, they are expected to have shrunk again to a mere 34cm. At such shallow depths, the Rhine essentially becomes little more than a puddle for vessels, rendering it largely impassible for large barges that carry the lifeblood of the German economy.

It will be disastrous for trade, halting the flow of fuels, chemicals, grains, paper products and other vital raw materials to factories and agriculture from northern Europe’s three major trading ports – Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp. Analysts estimate that the transportation of 400,000 barrels a day of oil, petrol, diesel and kerosene would be disrupted.

Original Content by The Telegraph