THE HAGUE, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Dutch inland waterway vessels carried 21.8 million tonnes of freight in August 2026, down 18.8 percent compared to the same month last year and the lowest volume recorded for August in the past 15 years, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported Wednesday.
"In the summer of 2026, inland waterway transport was severely affected by drought. Water levels in rivers dropped, meaning that vessels could carry less weight." CBS said in a statement.
The decline in freight volumes was particularly pronounced in cross-border transport. In August 2026, imports by inland waterway were 20.2 percent lower than a year earlier, while exports fell by 22.2 percent, according to CBS.
Freight transport by inland waterway declined to and from almost all countries. Germany, one of the Netherlands' most important trading partners, recorded the sharpest drop. The volume of goods transported to Germany fell by 2 million tonnes, or 39.7 percent, while freight arriving in the Netherlands from Germany fell by 1 million tonnes, or 49.5 percent.
The decline did not reflect reduced shipping activity. In fact, the number of voyages increased by 3.4 percent in August. However, vessels carried an average of 1,299 tonnes per voyage, compared with around 1,500 tonnes in August in most other years since 2012.
The Netherlands has been facing a prolonged drought, putting increasing pressure on efforts to retain and distribute freshwater, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management said on Aug. 11, 2026. ■
