During her inaugural voyage on the River Rhine, the newly delivered AmaSofia encountered a propulsion failure affecting two of her three engines, resulting in an unscheduled interruption of service and a tow to Koblenz.
In the early hours of March 18th, the vessel’s bridge team was alerted to a loss of power on the port-side engine, followed shortly thereafter by a similar failure on the starboard unit, both located aft. With only the forward engine remaining operational, command determined that continuation under reduced propulsion in a confined and heavily trafficked stretch of river would present unnecessary risk. The vessel was therefore brought to anchor west of Urmitz-Bahnhof while technical support was arranged from shore.
Subsequently, a cargo vessel was engaged to tow AmaSofia to Koblenz, where further assessment and repair efforts could proceed. A shoreside engineering team was dispatched to assist the onboard technical staff, who were reported to be working continuously to diagnose and rectify the malfunction with the objective of restoring full propulsion capability.
The voyage, carrying primarily U.S.-based travel advisors following the ASTA River Cruise Expo, required adjustments to its planned itinerary. A scheduled call at Rüdesheim was replaced with arrangements for shore excursions in Koblenz while the vessel remained alongside.
Shipboard leadership communicated that efforts were underway to resolve the technical issues with minimal disruption, noting that contingency planning included maintaining the intended daylight transit through the Rhine Gorge once repairs were completed. The crew’s response was described as prompt, with coordination between onboard and external teams focused on expediting a return to normal operations.
Despite the interruption, onboard programming continued, with time at anchor utilized for scheduled activities adapted to the circumstances. The situation was further contextualized by industry representatives onboard, who observed that mechanical incidents, while disruptive, remain an operational reality in river navigation.
The incident occurred only days after AmaSofia’s christening, marking an early operational challenge for the vessel as she commenced her first season in European service.
For more AmaSofia incidents and accidents, see the ship's CruiseMinus page.