This summer, Europe faced a severe drought, as a result, the Rhine, Loire, Danube and other major rivers became shallow, which paralyzed shipping.

And that’s not all the troubles of the Old World: there is a global energy crisis, and possibly food shortages.

Since Russia is under sanctions, the Europeans’ main hope was for supplies from the United States. But they are now in question: the States are facing the same disaster in the form of shallowing of rivers.

What threatens the shallowing of the Mississippi?

Perhaps this is the worst thing that could happen to American exports, and moreover, at the most unfortunate moment: the Mississippi became shallow.

And this major river in the United States carries more than half of all grains and beans that are exported. No wonder: more than 90% of all US agricultural products are grown in the Mississippi basin.

In addition, a third of export coal, fertilizers, oil and a huge amount of other products go through it.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is the main logistical artery of the country, which is very actively used.

There is little hope for alternative transport: after all, one tug with barges replaces a hundred railway cars or 1,000 trucks, and much less fuel is required, which is very important, given the new round of oil prices. In addition, right now (again at the wrong time) railroad workers are on strike in the United States.

And now we see the water level in the Mississippi at its lowest level in 10 years.

As a result, the activity of shipping on it is sharply declining: for example, if earlier the tug took 40 barges, now only 25.

Yes, and they do not have to be loaded so hard that they do not run aground.

But even this does not save: in early October, huge “traffic jams” formed on the river, over 100 tugboats and 2000 barges could not get to the place in time due to shallowing and work to deepen the bottom.

As a result, those barges that remained in operation sharply increased transportation tariffs, the price increase amounted to about 200%, the US Department of Agriculture notes.

This, of course, will not benefit either farmers and coal producers, whose profitability is falling, or foreign buyers — the same Europeans, for whom the final price will still rise, and so much, since transportation across the ocean is already expensive.

It is still unclear how the situation will be resolved.

The traditional rise of water in the Mississippi is usually observed during high water, in spring and summer.

But until then, we still have to live — and this will not be easy for both American logistics and European consumers of US exports.