Low water forces one-way shipping on upper IJssel

One-way navigation began on a stretch of the upper IJssel in the Netherlands on 25 September after very low water left the shipping channel too narrow for safe two-way traffic, Dutch water authority Rijkswaterstaat said. Vessels may travel upstream from the mouth of the Twentekanaal near Zutphen towards the IJsselkop near Arnhem; downstream navigation in the opposite direction is prohibited. [1]

An agency spokesperson said the restriction would probably remain until at least 8 October, ANP reported in a story published by Nieuws.nl on 25 September. No fixed reopening date has been set: Rijkswaterstaat says the measure will stay in place as long as necessary. [3] [1]

Ships had already been banned from overtaking or passing one another at some bends. Rijkswaterstaat said the narrowing channel meant those precautions were no longer sufficient, and that one-way navigation was intended to keep businesses accessible for as long as possible. [1]

For vessels arriving from Germany, the authority describes a diversion route up to 300 kilometres long. It follows the Waal to Tiel, the Amsterdam–Rhine Canal to Amsterdam, then the Markermeer, IJsselmeer and Ketelmeer before rejoining the IJssel. [1]

The Rhine is forecast to fall further. ANP reported that Rijkswaterstaat expected the level at Lobith to drop from 6.20 metres on 25 September to around 6 metres above NAP, the Dutch reference level for elevation, by 8 October. These figures describe the water surface’s elevation, not the river’s depth. That forecast would take the river below the August record low of 6.12 metres reported by ANP. [3]

Rijkswaterstaat’s bulletin at 06:00 on 26 September said water levels on both the Rhine and IJssel were below normal for the time of year and were expected to remain below seasonal norms over the next 48 hours. [2]