• 2 min de lectura
• 2 min de lectura
The river cruise ship Viking Ullur ran aground early Tuesday morning at kilometer 817 of the Danube River, opposite the village of Gomotartsi and about 25 kilometers upstream from Vidin, Bulgaria, as reported by Cruise Mapper. Authorities stated that the grounding was due to low water levels.
Bulgarian border police evacuated the 186 passengers of the Swiss-flagged vessel, who were from European Union member states, and a crew of 52 people.
The Viking ship was scheduled to resupply with food and drinking water in Vidin but could not reach the port after running aground. As provisions on board ran out, the ship's local agent arranged for the transfer of passengers with the French-flagged river cruise ship Vivaldi. However, the latter vessel could not get close enough to the stranded ship, so the Bulgarian Border Police organized the evacuation.
After receiving authorization from the Lom River Supervision Directorate and assessing the situation, the police deployed a patrol boat from the Vidin naval base to safely transport all passengers ashore.
The transfer of passenger luggage continued later. Authorities indicated that the future of the 52 crew members remained uncertain, as the Viking Ullur could remain stranded for an extended period depending on river conditions and the success of future refloating operations.
The ship had departed from Drobeta-Turnu Severin on Monday night bound for Vidin. Multiple attempts to refloat the vessel on Monday night and again on Tuesday morning proved unsuccessful, and the cruise ship remained stranded while authorities evaluated other recovery options.
