Viking Kvasir accidents and incidents

11 September 2022Ship Collision / Allision

On the morning on September 11, 2022, while navigating on Rhine River, the boat collided with a cargo ship/barge, approx 2 km / 1 mi from Viking Cruises' dock in Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). The collision resulted in minor hull damages (at the bow/forward, above the waterline), interior damages (broken windows, tablewares, glassware) and minor injuries sustained by two passengers and several crew members.

The riverboat was cruising in limited visibility/heavy fog. Reportedly, at ~6:50 am (4:50 UTC), the Navigation Bridge's officer on duty ordered a hard right and put the engines in full reverse for several seconds but she was unable to avert the crash.

Later all passengers were gathered in the Viking Bar Lounge (forward on deck 3) where the Hotel Manager (Claudia Gonzales) explained that the accident was the barge’s fault, and it was recorded in a video.

The boat's Infirmary treated a Galley/kitchen crew who sustained burns (while preparing the breakfast) and several other crew with minor cuts (caused by broken glassware). Two passengers suffered minor injuries because they were standing during the collision. No water ingress or pollution was reported.

Breakfast and lunch services on Sept 11th were canceled, but the voyage continued as scheduled, including the planned shore excursions/land tours. Viking Kvasir was mastered by Captain Istvan Fekete.

The accident happened at the end of a 9-day "Holland and Belgium Cruise" (itinerary Sept 7-16, leaving from Antwerp and ending in Amsterdam) with call ports in The Netherlands (Maastricht, Nijmegen), Germany (Wesel), The Netherlands (Dordrecht, Rotterdam, Kinderdijk, Hoorn, Amsterdam).