Viking River Cruise Ship Evacuated After Grounding on the Danube
Bulgaria’s Border Police were leading an orderly evacuation of the passenger from the Viking river cruise ship Viking Ullur after the vessel grounded early on July 28. The authorities cited low water levels and the dark of night as contributing factors but said the vessel had ultimately left the navigation channel before it grounded.
At various points along the Danube, which is the second longest river in Europe, authorities have warned of extreme low water levels due to a prolonged dry spell and intense summer heat, which has accelerated evaporation. The European Union used imagery from Copernicus Sentinel-2 to illustrate the rapid decline in water levels in sections of the Danube. It highlighted “exposed pale sediment bars along several bends” of the river in Hungary, saying the low water levels were affecting navigation and river tourism, warning that sightseeing services to northern Hungarian towns have been suspended since mid-July.
Images show the decline in water levels over 10 days in July on a section of the Danube in Hungary (European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery)
Authorities in Serbia and Croatia reported the river is at record low levels. Serbia’s fuel imports are being impacted, as are fishing and tourism.
The Swiss-flagged cruise ship, built in 2019, departed the port of Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania, around 9:15 p.m. Monday night in a section of the river between Serbia and Romania. It was heading to Vidin in northwest Bulgaria. There were 186 passengers and 52 crew aboard the ship. It measures 443 feet (135 meters) in length as part of Viking’s unique Longship design.
The cruise ship went aground at approximately 02:20 on July 28, approximately 15 miles above Vidin as it was sailing downriver. The ship attempted to free itself, and local vessels were used in attempts to pull it free.
The authorities highlighted that there are draft restrictions on the river. They said the river’s flow in the area has fallen from a normal 4,700 cubic meters per second to a current 1,650 cubic meters per second, but the ship was in compliance with the restrictions and had moved outside the navigable channel. A passenger writing on social media said they were told it was a pilot error.
The Lower Danube River Administration sent its technical vessel Concordia to carry out water-depth measurements. Viking also sent a chartered cruise ship, the French-flagged Vivaldi, in an effort to transfer the passengers to another vessel. However, the second ship was unable to approach the stranded cruise ship.
Passengers were being transferred between ships and later were bused to Bucharest (Border Police)
The authorities determined to conduct a daylight evacuation of the cruise ship after reports said the vessel was low on drinking water. It had been scheduled to replenish in Vidin. Pictures from the Border Police showed the passengers in life jackets boarding a small boat and being ferried to the second cruise ship. A passenger from Viking Ullur later reported they would be making a five-hour bus trip to Bucharest, where they would arrive around 2:00 a.m. local time.
The authorities reported the Viking cruise ship is in no immediate danger. Because it is outside the channel, it is not disrupting river traffic.
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It is the second vessel that they are managing after having grounded in the Danube. In a similar area on the eastern side of the river in Romania, a cargo vessel has also stranded. It is aground near Calafat, Romania, stuck, the authorities said, on a sandbar exposed by the low water levels on the river.
All along the river, precautions are in place to address the low water levels. Cargo ships have been required to reduce their loads due to the draft restrictions. Some of the river cruise ships have been docked at key ports and are transferring passengers by bus between cities, while others have had to alter their scheduled itineraries.
