# Rhine Shipping at Limit: Kaub at Only 11 cm – Surcharges Skyrocket **Category:** Operational Alerts | **Source:** Frachtportal Redaktion | **Published:** 2026-08-14 | **Updated:** 2026-08-15 **Tags:** Rhein, Niedrigwasser, Kaub, Basel, Binnenschifffahrt, Barge, Container, MSC, Low Water Surcharge, Rotterdam, Antwerpen, Rheinhäfen, Logistik News, Transport News, Fracht News, Speditions News, Supply Chain News, Zoll News, Frachtportal News, Seefracht, Digitalisierung > Kaub drops to approximately 11 cm. Barges lose significant capacity, with some larger vessels completely removed from service. For Basel traffic routes, costs and delay risks are increasing substantially. --- Space is becoming increasingly tight on the Rhine. The Kaub gauge, one of the critical bottlenecks between the North Sea ports and Basel, fell to just **11 cm** on August 13. Forecasts continue to show extremely low levels. In practice, this means: Ships are still afloat, but can barely take on cargo. A container barge with a normal capacity of around **300 TEU can now load only about 60 TEU in some cases**. That is just 20 percent. Larger barges with around 400 TEU cannot pass through the critical section at all in some cases, according to market reports. This means the normal calculation for inland shipping no longer works. Crew, vessel, fuel, and voyage costs remain practically the same – regardless of whether 300 or 60 containers are on board. Costs must therefore be distributed across much less cargo. The result is massive low-water surcharges. MSC is now demanding **€1,350 per TEU** for the Kaub section according to The Loadstar. Hapag-Lloyd charges €1,075 for a 20-foot container and €1,280 for a 40-foot container at Kaub below 40 cm. Maersk has also introduced a steeply rising surcharge schedule. Kaub is particularly important for Switzerland. The fact that the Basel-Rheinhalle gauge is currently significantly higher offers little help to a container from Rotterdam or Antwerp: it must still pass through the Middle Rhine and thus through Kaub on its way to Basel. An official complete closure of the Rhine cannot be spoken of at this time. However, commercial shipping at Kaub is practically approaching its limits. The German Inland Shipping Association warns that if water levels continue to fall or reach single digits, economical cargo transport there will hardly be possible. And that is precisely when the next problem begins: Containers do not disappear. They switch to rail and truck. Free capacity there is also limited. This threatens backlogs, missing slots, and even higher prices. Reuters already reports of companies shifting transport to road and rail and facing increasing capacity problems. --- Anyone dispatching containers between Basel and Rotterdam/Antwerp should not simply continue calculating with normal barge transit times. Check barge availability and surcharges before each booking. Existing bookings can also be delayed due to reduced loading capacity. For time-critical cargo, check rail or truck options early. However, if many shippers switch at the same time, slots will also become scarce and prices will rise there too. When making offers to customers, low water surcharges should be shown separately. The currently quoted EUR 1,350/TEU is not a general market price but depends on the shipping line, route, water level, and container size. Particularly critical are import containers from Rotterdam and Antwerp with onward transport to Basel, as well as exports that need to reach a deep-sea vessel on time. A missed barge connection can ultimately also mean a missed deep-sea cut-off. In short: The Rhine is not officially closed – but at Kaub, normal barge logistics are practically already at their limit. --- The Kaub water level was approximately 11 cm on the morning of August 13, 2026. The previous historical low of 25 cm from 2018 has already been undercut. 11 cm water level does not mean 11 cm actual water depth. The calculated fairway depth at this level is now only approximately 1.24 meters. Container barges with around 300 TEU can sometimes only load approximately 60 TEU or 20 percent. Larger units with around 400 TEU can sometimes no longer navigate the critical section in a meaningful way. MSC has reported a surcharge of 1,350 euros per TEU for the Kaub section. Hapag-Lloyd currently charges 1,075 euros for 20-foot and 1,280 euros for 40-foot containers when Kaub is below 40 cm. Maersk can no longer provide cargo guarantee when Kaub water level is below 81 cm. Road and rail are already being used as alternatives, but also have only limited additional capacity available. ## Related Entities ### Countries - [Belgium](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/be) - [France](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/fr) - [Germany](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/de) - [Netherlands](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/nl) - [Switzerland](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/ch) ### Seaports - [Rotterdam (NL RTM)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/rotterdam-port-nl-rtm) - [Antwerpen (BE ANR)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/antwerpen-port-be-anr) - [Amsterdam (NL AMS)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/amsterdam-port-nl-ams) ### Glossary - [Container](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/container) - [FCL (Full Container Load)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/fcl-full-container-load) - [Barge Booking](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/barge-booking-2) - [Barge Stability Cargo Management](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/barge-stability-cargo-management) - [Inland Waterway Transport](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/inland-waterway-transport) - [Barge Service](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/barge-service) - [Low Water Surcharge (LWS)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/low-water-surcharge-lws) - [Loading Draught (Abladetiefe)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/loading-draught-abladetiefe) - [Slot](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/slot) --- *Canonical URL: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/rhein-schifffahrt-am-limit-kaub-bei-nur-11-cm-zuschlaege-explodieren-20260813181731](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/rhein-schifffahrt-am-limit-kaub-bei-nur-11-cm-zuschlaege-explodieren-20260813181731)* *Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/rhein-schifffahrt-am-limit-kaub-bei-nur-11-cm-zuschlaege-explodieren-20260813181731](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/rhein-schifffahrt-am-limit-kaub-bei-nur-11-cm-zuschlaege-explodieren-20260813181731)*