The Rhine in Germany has risen sharply after recent rain, but shipping difficulties persist because water levels remain below the threshold needed for fully loaded vessels. The WSV (Germany's inland navigation agency) measured the navigable water gauge at Kaub near Koblenz at around 72 cm on Monday, up from 60 cm on Friday. The gauge had fallen below 10 cm in mid-August, compared with the previous record low of 25 cm in 2018. A reading of about 1.5 metres is needed for fully loaded sailings. Ships continue to travel part-loaded, while freight loads are distributed across multiple vessels or shifted to road and rail, raising costs and contributing to logistics bottlenecks and curtailed production. The WSV forecasts that levels could decline later this week but remain well above early-August readings. The outlook depends on actual rainfall after a summer of successive heatwaves and limited precipitation across Germany and other European countries.