Low water Rhine has financial impact on gypsum producer

Isolava, part of the Knauf Group, produces plasterboard and gypsum blocks in Wielsbeke. The gypsum is supplied in bulk by dedicated powder tankers. “We have three ships sailing, two of them at Neuss in Germany and one at Engis in Wallonia. Due to the low water level on the Rhine, the carrying capacity of the vessels has fallen sharply. First it went from 1,300 tonnes to 600 tonnes, and last week we only reached 130 tonnes,” says Antoon Desmet, head of internal sales & logistics at Isolava.