The cost of shipping oil products on the Rhine River advanced after water levels fell in the last three weeks, reducing the amount of fuel that can be carried on barges The cost of shipping gasoil to Duisburg in Germany from Rotterdam or Amsterdam rose to 3.50 euros ($4.45) a metric ton yesterday from 3.25 euros the previous day, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Prices had been unchanged since June 9.
“We are not loading to full capacity anymore,” Joachim Hessler, operations manager at barge operator Maintank Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH, said by phone from Woerth in Germany. “Compensation for lack of loading capacity comes on the money side.”
The Rhine is Germany’s main waterway, handling up to 80 percent of the country’s waterborne cargoes, according to Germany’s inland shipping association. The river, which goes to the port of Rotterdam, is used by companies including chemicals maker BASF SE.
The current dry spell in Germany may continue for the next 7 to 10 days, according to the country’s national weather service. “June was a very dry month and this has continued into July,” spokesman Gerhard Lux said by phone from Frankfurt.
The barge clearance level in Dusseldorf fell to 194 centimeters (76 inches) yesterday, down 50 percent from 385 centimeters on June 23, according to German government data on Bloomberg. The clearance level is the depth at which a barge can travel safely without the risk of running aground.
The cost for gasoline deliveries to Duisburg rose to 3.75 euros a ton yesterday, compared with 3.50 euros the previous day, the data show. Costs of shipping the motor fuel to Cologne also rose. Gasoil is the European equivalent of heating oil.
“We are not loading to full capacity anymore,” Joachim Hessler, operations manager at barge operator Maintank Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH, said by phone from Woerth in Germany. “Compensation for lack of loading capacity comes on the money side.”
The Rhine is Germany’s main waterway, handling up to 80 percent of the country’s waterborne cargoes, according to Germany’s inland shipping association. The river, which goes to the port of Rotterdam, is used by companies including chemicals maker BASF SE.
The current dry spell in Germany may continue for the next 7 to 10 days, according to the country’s national weather service. “June was a very dry month and this has continued into July,” spokesman Gerhard Lux said by phone from Frankfurt.
The barge clearance level in Dusseldorf fell to 194 centimeters (76 inches) yesterday, down 50 percent from 385 centimeters on June 23, according to German government data on Bloomberg. The clearance level is the depth at which a barge can travel safely without the risk of running aground.
The cost for gasoline deliveries to Duisburg rose to 3.75 euros a ton yesterday, compared with 3.50 euros the previous day, the data show. Costs of shipping the motor fuel to Cologne also rose. Gasoil is the European equivalent of heating oil.