Historically low water levels on Germany's Rhine are severely disrupting freight traffic, with Dutch broadcaster NOS reporting navigation channel depths of about 1.85 meters at Duisburg and 1.30 meters at Kaub, forcing operators to cut cargo loads and leaving some vessels running at only about 20% capacity. The river has effectively been split, with vessels from the Netherlands largely unable to move beyond the Ruhr region and Cologne and ships farther south struggling to reach seaports, driving up transport costs and prompting some customers to delay or cancel shipments. The disruption is adding to pressure on companies that use the Rhine as one of Europe's busiest inland waterways; WSV had earlier put navigable depth at Kaub at 12 centimetres, RheinCargo has shifted some coal deliveries to rail for Duisburg steelworks, and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy warned the shock could wipe out Germany's limited growth this year if dry conditions persist.