CMA CGM adds Rhine inland surcharge as river drops to barge-blocking level

France's CMA CGM announced an inland emergency fee on August 21 as Rhine water levels dropped too low for barge transport. The Kaub gauge fell below 24 centimetres.

The Kaub station sits at a narrows in the middle Rhine and is the standard measure for barge navigability. Below 24 centimetres, laden barges cannot safely transit the Rhine Gorge stretch, cutting off the main inland waterway route between Rotterdam, Antwerp and import hubs in Germany and Switzerland. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd posted matching surcharges within 24 hours.

CMA CGM set the fee at 50 euros per container for Belgium and the Netherlands, and 75 euros per container for Germany and Switzerland. The announcement appeared on the company's Netherlands local page on August 21. Hapag-Lloyd updated its own Rhine low water notice the same week.

Shippers face three options. They can hold cargo at port and wait for rain to raise the gauge, shift to rail or truck at higher cost, or pay the surcharge. Rail capacity from Rotterdam is short in August, when road freight demand across northern Europe is at its seasonal peak.

Kaub has dropped below the barge threshold in three of the past five summers. Carriers and logistics teams have started treating Rhine surcharges as an August routine. At the end of August, forecasters said a substantial rain event in the Swiss Alps was needed to lift levels before mid-September.

MarineRadar data shows 16 devices running "cma cgm" searches in the 48 hours after the announcement. The Belgian coastal region near Handzame saw a 3.3-fold rise in device activity in the same period.