Freight News, Inland waterway


European shippers call for drought aid

[ August 24, 2026   //   ]

The European Shippers’ Council (ESC) is calling on the European Commission to takes steps to ensure the resilience of inland navigation during low water.

It says that when navigable depth decreases during droughts vessels can carry less cargo, transport costs rise, terminals face additional handling operations. Companies may be forced to switch to other modes of transport, hold larger inventories or reorganise their supply chains.

ESC is calling for support for transport operators to adapt their fleets and operations; investment in climate-resilient waterways, ports, terminals and multimodal infrastructure; and targeted support for shippers who incur additional logistics costs during exceptional low-water periods.

It adds that a European framework should also encourage the development of dual-access industrial sites, so that strategically important production and distribution locations can use both inland navigation and rail.

As an immediate step, ESC is asking the European Commission to develop a common framework for low-water resilience, provide clarity on how existing State aid rules can support logistics users and launch pilot cooperation projects in the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt, Seine–Scheldt, Rhône–Saône, and Danube corridors.

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