Choking global trade

Low rainfall and shrinking rivers are causing shipping bottlenecks, and higher prices, around the world.

To get from Minnesota to China, a load of soybeans might meander down the Mississippi River on a barge, transferring around New Orleans to a ship that carries it through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific.

But this summer, low water levels have throttled traffic moving through the canal and limited barge cargo on the river. In Europe, the Rhine and Danube rivers, both important shipping channels, also saw record-low water levels.

Across the logistics industry, it’s been a season of bottlenecks caused by low rainfall and shrinking rivers.

Read more on The New York Times.