Inland waterway freight transport almost 19 percent lower in August due to drought

In August 2026, inland waterway vessels in the Netherlands transported almost 19 percent fewer goods than a year earlier. This was due to the drought, as the rivers had little water. As a result, the ships could be loaded less heavily.

In total, they transported 21.8 million tons of goods. That is the lowest number in August in fifteen years. The weight per trip was lower, but there were more trips made with inland vessels.

Especially transport to and from Germany was much lower. The Rhine at Lobith had a very low water level this summer. Therefore, nearly 40 percent fewer goods could be transported from the Netherlands to Germany and about 50 percent fewer from Germany to the Netherlands.

With Belgium, slightly more was transported. Transport of goods between the Netherlands and other countries also decreased. Only domestic transport increased slightly, by 0.4 percent.

In the first half of 2026, transport was still doing well: 6.3 percent more was transported than in the first half of 2025. In particular, wet bulk, such as diesel and gasoline, was transported more by inland vessels at that time.