Rhine Ferries Resume Service Amid Lingering Low Water Levels

After weeks of being stranded, numerous ferries operating on the Rhine River have recommenced their services, signaling a slight improvement in navigation conditions. The resumption follows a period of critically low water levels that forced many vessels to cease operations entirely.

For instance, the ferry connecting Düsseldorf's southern district to Zons (Dormagen) was docked for 29 days before resuming service. Similarly, the ferry operated by the Bislich Heimat- und Bürgerverein, which travels between Xanten and Wesel, was scheduled to restart after a three-week hiatus. Ferry manager Philipp Feine noted this was their longest operational pause due to natural conditions, exceeding the two-week shutdown during the low water period in 2022.

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It has eased – but who knows what this summer will still bring.

Other ferry services, including the Weiß ferry in Cologne and the Siebengebirge ferry in Bad Honnef, restarted operations on previous days. The Kaub ferry community reported a partial relaxation of conditions after being unable to operate for eleven days. However, they cautioned, "It has eased – but who knows what this summer will still bring."

Despite the overall improvement, some restrictions remain in place. In Bad Honnef, certain ferries are not transporting motorhomes or vans, limiting services to cars up to the size of a VW bus due to persistently low water levels. The Rhine ferry between Bad Breisig and Bad Hönningen has imposed a maximum weight limit of 7.5 tons per vehicle, utilizing a special low-water ramp to maintain operations. The Hitdorf passenger ferry, which typically carries around 350 passengers daily in July, is expected to resume service on Monday after more than 30 days of forced inactivity.

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This was our longest nature-induced forced break; during the low water in 2022, it was two weeks.