Drought hampers inland shipping on key canals in France

Dijon – 21.07.2026: The prolonged drought is increasingly restricting inland shipping in France. On Monday, the state network operator Voies navigables de France (VNF) announced new measures for several waterways. The north-south connection through Burgundy is particularly affected. Low water inflows and severely depleted reservoir reserves are forcing the operator to close individual sections or reduce the permitted water depth.

Since 21 July, the canal between Champagne and Burgundy has been closed to navigation. On the Burgundy Canal, VNF had already suspended navigation on the Saône side. The situation has now also worsened on the Yonne side: navigation between Pouilly-en-Auxois and Ancy-le-Franc has been interrupted since 19 July. The reasons are extremely low inflows from the Armançon and exceptionally low reserves in the storage basins.

On the section between Ancy-le-Franc and Migennes, the water level has been reduced to 1.50 metres in order to preserve the remaining reserves. VNF does not rule out having to urgently close this section as well if water levels continue to fall. In addition, the Canal lateral à la Loire remains closed from the Thaleine lock. This means that an important connection between northern and southern France is only available to a limited extent or not at all for many voyages.

For cargo vessels, tourism operators and port logistics, this means longer routes, changed schedules and more careful cargo planning. Where possible, VNF groups vessels at locks on the affected routes and limits water losses during lock operations. These measures are intended to prevent the available water reserves from being depleted even more quickly, while the operator seeks to maintain safe passage on the remaining sections of the network.

The restrictions are being introduced against the backdrop of a tense water resource situation across the country. On 13 July, the Ministry of the Environment stated that this summer’s drought began early and is particularly severe. Natural flows in many rivers have declined sharply since the beginning of June. Historically low levels for July were recorded on the Loire; low-water support had to begin ahead of schedule.

According to the ministry, water-use restrictions had recently been in force in 97 departments, including 41 at the highest crisis level. VNF filled its reservoirs before summer, but is forced to use the reserves earlier than usual. The operator intends to continuously update navigation conditions throughout the summer. Whether further closures will be introduced depends primarily on rainfall, temperatures and water inflow trends.