Around 285 million tonnes of cargo moved along the river in 2024, but prolonged drought has pushed water levels on the Middle Rhine to unprecedented lows, according to shipping official Florian Krekel. Low water could restrict navigation through Germany’s industrial heartland and disrupt cross-border trade with France and other countries along the river. Alexandr Burilkov, a security and geopolitical researcher at Leuphana University Lüneburg, said the shock would compound existing pressures from high energy costs, supply-chain disruptions and competition from China. The crisis extends beyond the Rhine. Record-low levels on the Danube, Europe’s second-longest river and a vital waterway linking Central Europe to the Black Sea, have forced nuclear plants in Hungary and Romania to reduce output, while one reactor at Romania’s Cernavodă plant was shut down. Authorities in Hungary have urged households and major industrial consumers to curb electricity use. A July 29 TVP World report detailed the shutdown of one reactor at Hungary’s Paks plant as falling Danube levels threatened cooling-water supplies, underscoring the economic consequences of Europe’s prolonged heat and drought.