Rhine drought triggers fuel shortages across eastern France

Supply route disrupted

Historically low water levels on the Rhine River have disrupted fuel supplies across eastern France, leaving more than 14% of filling stations in the Grand Est region without at least one type of fuel as vessels struggle to reach the Port of Strasbourg, local media reported. The drought has sharply reduced water levels along the waterway, preventing tankers from accessing the port and cutting a key supply route linking eastern France with seaports and refineries in northern Europe, according to daily Le Figaro.

Regional impact

As of Friday morning, 14% of filling stations in the Grand Est region were classified as “in difficulty,” meaning they had run out of at least one type of fuel, according to the government’s fuel-price monitoring website — while the nationwide rate stood at 3%. Alsace and the Vosges were among the worst-affected areas, with between 25% and 50% of stations impacted in the Haut-Rhin and neighboring Territoire de Belfort departments, and shortages of unleaded gasoline proved more widespread than those of diesel.

Navigability limits

The Rhine has become virtually unnavigable at Kaub in western Germany, where the navigable channel’s water level fell to an unprecedented 130 centimeters on Monday. Jean-Laurent Kistler, development director at the French Waterways Authority in Strasbourg, said oil tankers were carrying only around 350 tons of fuel, compared with more than 1,500 tons under normal conditions.

Similar disruptions occurred in 2018 and 2023, but not on the same scale, Kistler said. “The rainfall deficit started very, very early in the year,” he added, noting that such conditions usually emerge in September rather than at the beginning of July. Rainfall is expected through the weekend and into next week, but authorities forecast that the river will rise by only around 20 centimeters before falling again.