Dutch river cruise stranded as Rhine falls to new record levels

The river Rhine dropped to a new record low level at the weekend at the Dutch-German border, with no sign of fresh rainfall in the days ahead.

The river measured 6.1m at Lobith, the point where it flows into the Netherlands, on Sunday, below the previous record of 6.12m set in August.

Further upstream in Cologne, a Dutch cruise ship became stuck in mid-river as water levels dropped to just 40 centimetres on the gauge, leaving around 1.5 metres of navigable depth.

The Dutch Melody, which carries 140 passengers, was able to continue downriver after being assisted by another ship, German river police said. The four-deck vessel is due to arrive in Nijmegen later on Monday.

River levels are expected to drop further this week due to low rainfall in the Alps. At Lobith the flow of water has fallen below 600 cubic metres per second for the first time on record.

Dutch water authorities have had to impose restrictions on river traffic as channels became narrower and shallower during the summer drought.

Vessels using the IJssel to travel from Arnhem to Zutphen are having to take a 300km detour after Rijkswaterstaat imposed a one-way system.

Some ferries across the rivers have been cancelled and river cruises have had to cancel trips or shorten their itineraries because sections of the Rhine have become impassable.