German government officials said on the 10th that the water level of the Rhine River may drop to a very low level in the next few days. This has forced enterprises that rely on waterway transportation of coal, gasoline and other goods to limit their production capacity, increasing the downside risk of the German economy. Water transport blocked AP reported that several major waterways in Europe have been shallowed by the drought that lasted for several weeks. The decline of the Rhine River level has caused a headache for many factories and power plants in Germany that rely on water transport. According to the data of the British venture capital international macroeconomic consulting company, compared with other European countries, Germany relies more on inland waterways to transport goods. Tim alexandrin, spokesman of the German Ministry of transport, said that the water level of the Rhine River near the town of koub in Rhineland Pfalz is very low, and ships with shallow draught can still pass. However, relevant departments predict that the water level of the kobu river may drop below 40 cm early on the 12th, and will continue to drop over the weekend. Koub town is located between Koblenz city and Mainz City, and the nearby river section is the middle section of the Rhine River. The historical minimum water level in this section is 25 cm, which was recorded in October 2018, when many large ships were difficult to pass safely. Roberto sprenzi, the boss of the shipping company, told AFP that because the water level in the river is low, the capacity of the fleet has been limited. "Usually only one ship (cargo transported) is needed, but now three to four ships are needed.". Under economic pressure, enterprises operated by sprunzi transport raw materials for many factories along the Rhine River. He said that once the capacity of cargo ships is limited or it is difficult to transport raw materials, German industry will face a threat. About 4% of goods in Germany are transported by water. As the EU sanctions against Russia led to Russia's reduction of energy supply to Germany, the German government began to use the stored coal power capacity to make up for the energy gap. As the main artery of coal transportation, the Rhine River has more important significance. Germany's unipal said that the low water level of the Rhine River may cause its two thermal power plants to fail to operate normally after September. In a statement, Baden wuertenberg electric power company said that fuel transportation was restricted, the falling water level of the river pushed up the transportation cost, and the land transportation capacity was tight. In the view of people in the energy industry, the decline of freight transport capacity of the Rhine River increases the risk of supply chain disruption and material shortage. Agence France Presse reported that petrol stations in some parts of southern Germany have experienced a shortage of gasoline and diesel. According to the data of the research department of Deutsche Bank, the drought occurred in 2018, and the water level of the kaub section of the Rhine River fell to a historical low, which led to a decrease of 0.2% in Germany's gross domestic product (GDP). Mark shattenberg, economist of Deutsche Bank Research Department, said: "the low water level appeared earlier this time... If this situation (compared with 2018) lasts longer, the economic losses will be more serious." Kaitou international macroeconomic consulting company expects that Germany's economic growth will slow down in the third quarter of this year and the economy may shrink in the fourth quarter. Andrew kenningham, chief European economist of the advisory body, said: "the lower water level of the Rhine River makes the economic recession more likely." (news agency)