Thyssenkrupp Steel Halts Own Barges as Low Rhine Water Levels Disrupt Raw Material Supply

Thyssenkrupp Steel has suspended its own barge transport of raw materials to Duisburg due to low Rhine water levels during a heatwave, turning to chartered vessels and reducing blast furnace production.

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Thyssenkrupp Steel has suspended its own barge transport of raw materials to its Duisburg steel mill due to low water levels on the Rhine, the company confirmed on Wednesday.

The steelmaker typically moves around 50,000 tons of iron ore and coal per day roughly 240 kilometers up the Rhine from Rotterdam to Duisburg. But a heatwave has caused water levels to drop, preventing cargo vessels from sailing fully loaded and driving up freight costs, commodity traders said on Monday.

"The persistent and worsening low-water situation is now also affecting the supply of raw materials to our Duisburg plant. Our own barge transport operations have been suspended due to the low water levels," a Thyssenkrupp Steel spokesperson said.

To keep raw materials flowing, the company has switched to chartered third-party vessels that have shallower draughts and can navigate the river more easily. However, the spokesperson noted that "the extended chartering of external shipping capacity is leading to increased logistics costs," though they declined to provide a specific cost figure.

Thyssenkrupp Steel has also slightly reduced blast furnace production as a preventive measure in response to tighter raw material supply. Despite these disruptions, the company said customer deliveries are not yet at risk.

The Rheinische Post earlier reported on the matter.