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Germany news: Some shipping stops as Rhine hits new lows
The summer heat is not only causing water levels in Germany's key river arteries to drop to dangerously low levels, but also contributing to wildfires in several areas. Follow DW for more.
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Here's a roundup of the biggest stories hitting the headlines in Germany on Tuesday, August 11.
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08/11/2026 August 11, 2026 Germany brings back standing tickets for international games In non-drought-related news, Germany's football federation has announced it is bringing back standing tickets for national team matches for the first time in more than 25 years.
The German Football Association (DFB) said the tickets will already be available for incoming coach Jürgen Klopp 's first home games, against Greece in Augsburg on September 27 and Serbia in Munich on October 1.
Standing areas will also be available at both men's and women's national team and Under-21 home matches.
DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said there had been strong demand from supporters for standing areas at international matches.
"We have therefore campaigned within UEFA in recent years for the return of standing areas at internationals and tournaments," he said.
"Standing areas are an integral part of fan culture and the stadium experience in Germany," DFB President Bernd Neuendorf said in a statement. "Our dialogue with fans has shown us just how strong the desire for standing areas at international matches is."
UEFA had long required all-seater arrangements for its competitions, meaning standing sections routinely used in German domestic football could not be used for UEFA matches. In 2022, UEFA began testing the return of standing areas in selected countries, including Germany.
Germany has a long tradition of standing terraces, with Borussia Dortmund's famous South Stand, the "Yellow Wall," holding almost 25,000 supporters.
08/11/2026 August 11, 2026 Drought also pressuring fuel prices, especially at a local level Shallow rivers are also impacting fuel and diesel prices at filling stations, particularly in the Rhine's heartland in western Germany.
Germany's largest motoring club, the ADAC, said that the Rhine's low levels were pushing prices up at the pumps, because the freight barges on the Rhine are well suited to the transport of oil, gasoline and diesel.
Their limited capacity was increasing "logistics costs for the transport of fuels and certain products, drastically in some cases," the ADAC's fuel market expert Christian Laberer said.
Laberer said that fuel delivery varied around the country, and was achieved using rivers, but also a "network of seaports, refineries, pipelines as well as rail and road transport."
Therefore, he said, the water levels' effects were being felt in a pronounced manner in some areas than others.
Fuel prices have been highly labile for most of the year in Germany anyway amid the war in Iran and the wider conflicts in the Middle East, with costs currently more than one-quarter higher than they were at the start of the year.
08/11/2026 August 11, 2026 Hesse joins states allowing Sunday trucking to compensate for dry rivers The state of Hesse , home to the financial capital Frankfurt , has joined the ranks of German states to make use of an amnesty for heavy goods vehicle (HGV) transit on Sundays and bank holidays. The measure will come into effect this weekend.
Typically all truck freight transport is banned on German roads on Sundays and public holidays, regardless of where it is coming from or going to. Some exceptions do apply for deliveries of perishable goods.
The federal government has allowed states to opt in to exemptions on these rules given that several rivers are much less effective freight corridors at present.
Prior to Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein and the city state of Hamburg had all relaxed the rules.
Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania also all plan to allow HGV freight as of this weekend.
Saxony has taken a different approach so far, rejecting the idea of blanket permission and instead saying it would consider issuing special permits for certain transport.
08/11/2026 August 11, 2026 Some shipping stops on Rhine as level keeps dropping New record-low water levels have been measured on the Rhine, a vital transport waterway, with some cargo vessel owners stopping shipping on river sections in the south .
The inland navigation agency WSV reported that the gauge at Kaub, near Koblenz, had fallen to an all-time low of 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) on Tuesday, indicating that the river depth is about 115 centimeters at its deepest point .
A commodity trader told the Reuters news agency that it was "no longer to book cargo shipments on the Rhine past Kaub."
"Most sailings there have stopped," the trader said.
Traders said that sailings on northern sections of the river were continuing.
Germany, along with much of Europe, has experienced a series of heat waves and a long period without meaningful rainfall this summer, leading to low water levels in several rivers.
The situation is having not only an environmental but also an economic impact, with companies that are reliant on goods normally transported via water suffering supply shortfalls.
The ships that are still sailing are carrying much lighter loads than usual and at higher prices.
08/11/2026 August 11, 2026 In pictures: Rhine water levels hit historic low https://p.dw.com/p/5IccR Skip next section Endurance athlete to swim 200 kilometers from Frankfurt to Cologne for child water safety 08/11/2026 August 11, 2026 Endurance athlete to swim 200 kilometers from Frankfurt to Cologne for child water safety T...
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