Rudi Schreiner
After a summer of low water levels on the Danube and Elbe rivers in Europe, Michelle Baran caught up with Rudi Schreiner, river cruise industry veteran and president of AmaWaterways, to get the skinny on how recent high and low water levels are impacting the river cruise business.
Q: What exactly happened this summer on Europe's rivers?
A: There was low water on the Danube; it's mainly the Upper Danube between Passau and Regensburg. That is the place that is critical. The Rhine is being dredged. On the Danube in Austria below Passau, you have electric power plants with dams, [which] keep the water levels high enough to cruise. The Main River is also dammed. Europe went through an extreme heat wave in August with very little precipitation. The last time we had this kind of lower water was 2003.
Q: How have your sailings been impacted?
A: From AmaWaterways, we have not been affected one single day so far. We had a couple of close calls. We are mostly on the Rhine and [lesser-impacted stretches of the] Danube. I really do try to avoid that area. Right now, we have low water in the sailing area. Some [ships] have deeper drafts. Our ships are [on] the low side.
Q: How deep is the draft on your vessels?
A: It's about five feet. If it comes down to critical points, you have to work within inches. Normally with full load and full draft, it's six feet. The problem starts if you have low water and you cannot go below six feet. You see quite a few ships that cannot.
Q: This isn't the first time Ama has skirted water-level problems. What's your strategy?
A: This year has been a very critical year with low water on the Danube, but you can work around it. Draft is important. Some ships are being built very heavily and without consideration of what's going on on the river. And then deployment, you can look at in a way that you can kind of navigate safe waters.
Q: How can river cruise lines improve communication with agents and customers about water levels?
A: You send out final documents about four or five weeks prior to departure. At that time, you have no clue what [the conditions are] going to be, because it can change fairly quickly. We want the passenger to go to Europe and enjoy it to the best of our ability. For every day of a deviation [we give them] a 15% future cruise credit. What else can you do when you are notified about a week out?
Q: How often do you have to cancel or seriously alter itineraries?
A: It happens very rarely. The last couple of years were really great in Europe; 2003 was dry [and with] the flooding in 2013, the main problem was one lock outside of Vienna that was heavily damaged. My biggest worry is always low water. High water goes away; low water can stay for a long time. Ships get stuck. I'm careful about where I put the ships at what time.
Q: Are there any initiatives in the works to better control the flow of water on the Danube?
A: The thing today with damming and so on, the local communities are against damming and river regulations. I don't think there are any serious plans to do anything in that area. You live with it.