Low water vessels

Introduction

Over the past decade, inland waterway logistics has repeatedly faced severe low-water events and even structurally low water in parts of the Danube, posing significant challenges to all stakeholders involved. Such events or changes can lead to reduced transport capacity, rising logistics costs and, ultimately, higher prices for consumer goods. Furthermore, cargo may be shifted from inland waterways to already congested road and rail networks, placing additional pressure on these modes of transport. However, in many cases it is not possible to switch to alternative transport modes due to capacity constraints. The industry along the Rhine had to reduce or even stop production due to missing deliveries by barge needed for the production process. To mitigate these impacts and ensure the long-term competitiveness and resilience of inland shipping, adapting and modernising the existing fleet is an essential step. In particular, inland vessels need to be optimised for operation under low-water conditions to maintain sufficient transport capacity and preserve the economies of scale that make inland shipping an efficient and competitive mode of freight transport.

Value proposition

Increase fleet's effective capacity
Strengthen supply chain resilience
Reduce risk of disruption

A low-water event or change can trigger two types of capacity constraints within the logistics chain. First, reduced draught limits the effective transport capacity of the inland shipping fleet, as vessels carry less cargo and some may no longer operate economically. Consequently, more inland shipping movements or alternative modes of transport are needed. Second, reduced transport capacity can lead to increasing inventories and eventually binding storage constraints, forcing producers to reduce or temporarily suspend production. Investing in vessels designed for low-water conditions increases the fleet’s effective capacity during such events, thereby strengthening supply chain resilience and reducing the risk of production disruptions.

Port applicability

Low-water events increase pressure on port operations, as reduced vessel loading capacities require more ship movements to transport the same cargo volume. Low-water vessels can mitigate this effect by maintaining higher transport capacities but may require adaptations to existing port and waterway infrastructure. Currently, in certain parts of the Danube, the rover is structurally low, but low-water vessels are predominantly operated on the Rhine.

Groups of innovations

Optimized stern and propulsion design (newbuilds and retrofits)
Reducing the required draught of the propulsion system enables operation at lower water levels
Lightweight vessel design (newbuilds)
Reducing the vessel’s lightship weight through lightweight hull structures decreases draught and increases the available payload under low-water conditions.
Increased vessel width (newbuilds)
Widening the vessel compensates for draught restrictions by providing additional cargo capacity.

Impact

Impact level per aspect
Impact	Level	Remark
GHG emissions	Large impact	Reduced vessel demand and associated emissions.
Resilience	Very large impact	Increased resilience through reduced production disruptions
Transportation costs	Medium impact	Higher at normal water levels, lower during low-water periods.

Port characteristics

The suitability of a port for low-water vessels depends primarily on its existing inland waterway infrastructure and cargo structure. Key requirements include sufficient fairway and berth dimensions, adequate loading facility ranges, and quay infrastructure that remains operable at low water levels. Wide-body vessels, reaching widths of up to 17.5 m, may require additional fairway and berth space and can exceed the operating range of existing loading facilities. Excessive height differences between vessels and quay walls during low-water conditions may further restrict cargo handling. Required infrastructure adaptations can increase the implementation timeframe or limit the feasibility of certain vessel designs. At the same time, ports located near high-volume shippers or handling cargo flows strongly affected by low-water bottlenecks are particularly suitable for adaptation. Infrastructure compatibility, required modifications, and expected transport volumes therefore determine the overall suitability and timing of implementation.

Barriers and enablers

Enablers

Exposure to significant bottlenecksEnabler
Ports handling a high share of goods affected by low-water-related bottlenecks benefit most from increased low-water transport capacity, strengthening the business case for infrastructure adaptation.
EconomicEnabler
Large companies with significant cargo volumes in the surrounding area can facilitate the deployment of low-water vessels. Currently, a substantial share of these vessels is commissioned or operated on behalf of large industrial shippers.

Barriers

InfrastructureBarrier
Wide-body vessels may require one-way traffic in narrow sections or even exceed the available fairway width, restricting their operational flexibility.
InfrastructureBarrier
The increased width of low-water vessels may exceed the operating range of existing loading and unloading facilities, limiting their compatibility with port infrastructure.
EconomicBarrier
Limited shipyard capacity may constrain the construction of new vessels, particularly low-water vessels. On average, around 75 inland vessels were built annually between 2017 and 2023. By 2026, only 13 low-water vessels were built.

How to implement?

Step 1
Assessment
Step 2
Adaptation
Step 3
Investment

Timeline

The arrow below represents the expected development of the TRL of low water vessels.

What should a port do in the next 3 years?

Ensure that ongoing and planned infrastructure projects accommodate the additional space requirements of wide-body vessels and avoid further restricting fairway dimensions.

Investment overview

A new low-water vessel costs von average approximately €12.5 million. Around 40% of this investment is related to the enhenced low-water capabilities. Operating costs are also higher, as wide-body vessels consume around 30% more fuel. Consequently, low-water vessels are more costly under normal water conditions but can provide cost advantages during low-water periods due to their higher transport capacity.

Stakeholder overview

Below is an overview of the required involved stakeholders.

Blue stakeholders are essential, white stakeholders are enabling

Knowledge base

Barré, E. (2026). Low water levels on the Rhine and Danube put the European economy under pressure. Coface, 1 September 2026. Accessed: 1 September 2026.
King, A. (2026). Record low European river levels threaten chemical freight and process cooling. Chemistry World, 13 August 2026. Accessed: 1 September 2026.
Development Centre for Ship Technology and Transport Systems (DST) (2026). Low-water vessel loading capacity data. Unpublished data.
Development Centre for Ship Technology and Transport Systems (DST) (2023). FlaBi – Development of inland vessel for extreme low water levels. Accessed: 1 September 2026.
Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU (2026). Lightweight Construction for Cargo Vessels: Never More Valuable Than Today. 11 August 2026. Accessed: 1 September 2026.
Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) (2025). Annual Report 2025 – Inland Navigation in Europe: Market Observation. Strasbourg: CCNR.
DVZ International. HGK calls for an investment package for low-draught vessels. DVV Media Group. Accessed: 1 September 2026.
HGK Shipping GmbH (2026). Resilienzstrategie Wasserstraße und Flotte 2035 – Zusammenfassung für politische Entscheidungsträger. Version 4.0, August 2026. Accessed: 11 September 2026.
Deutsche Welle (DW) (2026). Low Rhine levels: Can low-water ships protect supply chains? Accessed: 1 September 2026.
Infrastructure resilient to claimte change: /factsheets/infrastructure-resilient-to-climate-change (opens in new tab)
Resilience logistical chains to climate change: /factsheets/resilience-logistical-chains-to-climate-change (opens in new tab)
Road congestion: /factsheets/road-congestion (opens in new tab)