Climate Change Poses Risk to Inland Waterway Operations: Study

TT Club’s historical data points to a continuing rise in claims from weather-related losses over the last 10 years.

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TT Club’s historical data points to a continuing rise in claims from weather-related losses over the last 10 years. These result from numerous types of damage from navigational and berthing accidents to collapse of cranes and port equipment collisions to container stacks blowing over, and of course flood damage to buildings and infrastructure.

“Climate change effects on river navigation are significant as it is highly sensitive to changes in weather patterns and long-term climate trends,” says Neil Dalus from TT Club’s loss prevention department. “This challenge highlights the vulnerability of Europe's inland waterway transport system, emphasizing the need for infrastructure improvements, planning for risk mitigation and workforce training to ensure operational resilience.”

 

Key takeaways:

  • In 2024, European waterways continued to experience significant disruption to cargo transport. In June 2024, the Rhine suffered from extreme weather conditions with torrential rain leading to severe flooding in southern Germany. Cargo handling was interrupted to/from Switzerland and caused substantial delays in inland traffic between the Lower and Upper Rhine.
  • Conversely, increased droughts have led to record low water levels on major rivers with some vessels carrying only 25% of their usual load to avoid running aground and causing delays. Shipping lines have had to switch cargo from river to rail to maintain connections between industrial regions and the ports. 
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