00:00Prolonged heat and drought are disrupting major European waterways, limiting industrial
00:05shipments along Germany's Rhine and threatening the closure of France's Burgundy Canal.
00:10In some sections of the Rhine, falling water levels have reduced cargo capacity to about
00:16one-third of normal levels, while by July 23, only a quarter of the Burgundy Canal remained open.
00:26The Rhine carries about 80% of Germany's inland waterway traffic and links major industrial
00:31centres with the Dutch port of Rotterdam.
00:34Around 285 million tonnes of goods are transported along the river each year.
00:39In response, some companies have moved cargo to smaller vessels, trains and trucks.
00:45However, these alternatives are more expensive and also face limits on available capacity.
00:51In France, record low water levels have forced authorities to gradually restrict navigation
00:56along the Burgundy Canal, raising the possibility of a complete closure.
01:01The disruption could become more severe because European waterways usually reach their lowest
01:06levels near the end of summer.
01:09The crisis comes as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece and they are one of Europe's
01:14most severe heat waves in recent years, with the extreme conditions also fueling widespread
01:19wildfires across the region.
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