As reported by The Loadstar yesterday, container barge traffic has been almost to a halt amid the heatwaves the continent has seen – and there is little to suggest a break in the weather is coming. One barge owner said the alternative rail and road routes for barge users were not fit for purpose, the additional stress brought about by barge traffic rapidly shifting was exposing the inherent weaknesses in this part of the supply chain. Noting the Rhine handles approximately 275m tonnes of cargo annually, of which containers represent 10%, the barge owner said this equated to 7,500 teu a day being moved along inland waterways. Compounding the problem is that the remaining barge traffic – particularly that generated by German chemical and steel industries – is unable to shift to rail or road. This shows that we are not only an attractive cruise destination but that we can also respond flexibly to such unexpected situations.”