European Waterways is reassuring travel advisors that it continues to operate its full program of luxury hotel barge cruises despite low water levels affecting some European waterways, with only four vessels requiring slight itinerary adjustments.
The company’s update comes amid a severe drought that has gripped much of Europe through the northern summer. About half of Europe’s land area is currently experiencing drought conditions, according to the Global Drought Observatory, with river systems including the Rhine, Danube, Seine, Loire and Po all recording exceptionally low or record-low flows in recent weeks.
The Rhine’s discharge in Germany fell to around 692 cubic metres per second in mid-August, against a seasonal average of roughly 1,900 cubic metres per second, restricting shipping and forcing vessels to carry reduced loads. Nuclear and hydropower facilities in Hungary, Romania, France and Serbia have also had to scale back electricity generation due to insufficient water for cooling and turbines.
Cruises in Scotland, Ireland, England and Italy are unaffected, and the majority of French itineraries, including the Canal du Midi, Champagne, Alsace and Brittany, are also operating as planned. In Burgundy, the company has proactively repositioned a small number of vessels to nearby waterways, generally within around 50 kilometres of their original routes.
European Waterways said its canal-based operations had proven more resilient than river cruising during the drought. Most of Europe’s canals do not free-flow like rivers and are instead managed through reservoirs and other water-control systems, which can help provide greater stability during prolonged dry periods. Where changes have been necessary, the company has been able to reposition vessels to nearby waterways while retaining key excursions and experiences.
The company said the smaller scale and flexibility of canal cruising had enabled it to respond quickly to changing conditions, with no cruise cancellations expected for the remainder of the season despite limited rainfall.
European Waterways co-founder and director John Wood-Dow said the impact on operations had been limited.
“The impact of Europe’s low water levels on our canal cruises has been limited,” Wood-Dow said. “All of our vessels remain operational and where we have needed to adjust a route, the changes have not altered the overall experience with most of the usual excursions being retained.”
Wood-Dow said the company’s long history on Europe’s waterways had helped it adapt quickly.
“One of the real advantages of hotel barging is the flexibility that comes with travelling on canals and smaller waterways,” he said. “With 50 years of experience operating on Europe’s waterways, we have strong local partnerships and know these regions extremely well. That means we can react quickly, move vessels when needed and if required, introduce high-quality alternative experiences that we know will deliver for our guests.”
