MSC announced on Friday it had introduced a wave of “traffic congestion surcharges” for rail, trucking, and rail-truck transport from/to Antwerp and Rotterdam via Andernach, Frankfurt, Germersheim Munich, Nurnberg, Neuss, Strasbourg, Trier, and Woerth. The carrier told customers: “Water levels have fallen to such an extent that barge transportation from Rhine-connected inland terminals has become extremely restricted and, in many cases, no longer possible at all.” Since MSC announced its surcharges, water levels have fallen even more, with the Kaub gauge now at 17cm, the Emmerich gauge empty, Duisburg-Ruhrort at 142cm, and the Koln gauge at 62cm, all surpassing the historic lows set earlier this summer. The latest forecasts suggest temperatures will drop no lower than 30ºC, and likely to top 36ºC at some points during the week, meaning there is no chance of the precipitation necessary to raise water levels. One source noted that if the Rhine was not back to navigable levels when the summer holidays end and commuter traffic returns, there could be deadlock across Northern Europe’s road network, creating “untold economic damage”.