A narrow gully through which the last ships meander.
Walkers picking up stones in the river bed.
The Rhine, Germany's most important waterway, is suffering from the drought.
This has consequences, especially for the environment and shipping.
Bernhard Reinert, captain and owner of a freighter, already feels the consequences when loading in the port of Mannheim.
He can only use a third of the loading capacity of his 170 meter long ship.
Because more freight means more draft, and the Rhine doesn't allow that at the moment.
Reinert is happy that he can still navigate the river at all.
"We have to be prepared for the fact that the Rhine looks like this more often now," he explains to SPIEGEL Daily reporter Regina Steffens.
And SPIEGEL editor Martin U. Müller explains what effects it has on the economy and consumers if parts of the Rhine have to be closed to shipping.
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