Danube water levels recover but shipping remains restricted

Recent rain has brought a slight recovery in Danube water levels, according to current data from Lower Austria’s Hydrological Service, ORF reported. Shipping schedules, however, remain restricted.

Low water levels had a major impact on shipping in recent weeks. Day-trip boats reduced their schedules and were temporarily unable to travel through the Wachau stretch of the river. Cabin ships also had to adjust their routes because they could no longer travel to Germany or Hungary.

Tourist attractions and excursion destinations in the Wachau saw visitor numbers fall. Göttweig Abbey recorded 30 percent fewer guests, said Birgit Brandner-Wallner, managing director of Donau Schiffsstationen GmbH.

“We had around four weeks of extreme low water, with levels I had never experienced in the 30 years I have operated the landing stages,” Brandner-Wallner said.

At the Kienstock gauge, which is relevant for the Wachau, the average water level was 105 centimetres on Sunday, the lowest level recorded this year. By Wednesday, the average daily level had risen to 166 centimetres.

A similar development was recorded at the gauge in Wildungsmauer, in the Bruck an der Leitha district. The year’s low of 82 centimetres was measured on Monday. The average daily level rose to 114 centimetres on Tuesday and 128 centimetres on Wednesday.

Brandner-Wallner said conditions were not yet back to normal. Although water levels were becoming more normal, operators were not immediately returning to regular schedules, she told ORF.

The first day-trip boats are now travelling through the Wachau again, but journeys to Germany or Hungary remain impossible.

Brandner-Wallner said shipping would need to consider longer-term adjustments in response to climate change. These could include lighter aluminium vessels with a shallower draft, as well as landing stages extending farther into the river instead of resting on the bank.

Despite the difficult weeks, she said she remained positive about the future of cabin shipping, describing it as a rapidly growing sector.