Press release from MSG eG, Würzburg
and BAVARIA Schiffahrts- und Speditions-AG, Stockstadt
Würzburg/Stockstadt, 11 August 2026 – The two leading Bavarian inland waterway shipping companies, MSG eG and BAVARIA Schiffahrts- und Speditions-AG, wish to point out that, despite all the difficulties with water levels, supplies to customers are continuing. Unfortunately, water levels have now fallen below last week’s record lows (10 August 2026: 05:00, 17 cm – Kaub gauge). Forecasts predict a trend towards a single-digit figure by the end of the week. This will make waterway logistics immensely more difficult for inland waterway operators, and customers will face cost increases throughout the supply chain. In times of economic strain, this could lead to price rises for all consumers, shortages and a decline in living standards. According to surveys by the IfW in Kiel, the extreme low-water period of 2018 led to a loss of approximately 0.4 per cent of Germany’s gross domestic product. This corresponds to the considerable sum of 13–14 billion euros.
Andreas Dicke, board member of BAVARIA, explains: “Contrary to fears that there is a risk of the Rhine being divided into two distinct sections in terms of use, the fleets of our two companies are largely optimised for shallow draught, as the shipping companies have been operating on the Danube for decades already, despite highly fluctuating and often low water levels.”
Martin Staats, board member of MSG, states: “As the owner of the waterway, the federal government must finally ensure that the necessary adaptation measures are carried out. It is not enough that the measure listed in the 2016 Federal Waterway Development Act – ‘optimisation of the dredging of the navigation channel on the Middle Rhine’ – results in an additional 20 cm of dredging depth, whilst the relatively simple hydraulic engineering works required for this will take over 20 years to complete. In order to make the Rhine resilient for the shipping industry, water transport, water management and aquatic ecology, the federal government will need to consider further measures as soon as possible. It has the resources to implement these measures in-house, in the form of an effective administration and the Federal Institutes for Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, which act as higher federal authorities. The aim is to make meaningful use of its own expertise.”
Staats and Dicke go on to explain: “In principle, it makes sense to consider logistical links between different modes of transport, but neither the lifting of Sunday driving bans for lorries nor calls for the railways – which are, moreover, plagued by numerous construction sites and other problems – will solve the problem in the short term – especially as neither mode of transport can replace efficient inland waterway transport. The current crisis highlights the systemic importance of inland waterway transport and the waterway system as a whole.”
MSG eG, Würzburg, and BAVARIA Schiffahrts- und Speditions-AG, Stockstadt, are the two largest shipping companies in southern Germany and specialise in transport between the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. The two shipping companies are also linked through several associated companies. Together, they operate a fleet of approximately 85 vessels.
Photo by Andreas Stapf