The river cruise vessel Anna Katharina sustained bow damage after colliding with a lock at the Freudenau hydropower plant on the Danube in Vienna during the early hours of Friday, July 24th, leaving 14 passengers and crew members injured.
The 135-metre vessel, carrying ~200 passengers and crew, struck the lock wall and gate at around 4:30 a.m. while transiting the Austrian capital. Although the bow sustained structural damage, the hull remained intact and the vessel did not take on water.
Emergency medical services reported that 14 people were injured in the incident. Six were transported to hospital with back, neck and chest injuries, while the remaining casualties sustained minor injuries, primarily bruises caused by the force of the impact. Most of those injured were German nationals.
Firefighters, police officers and emergency medical teams responded by both land and water. Rescue personnel boarded the vessel, evacuating several people using a turntable ladder and a fireboat. Before emergency services arrived, a German paramedic travelling as a passenger provided first aid to those injured.
Following the medical response and confirmation that all passengers had been accounted for, the vessel's operator (Phoenix Reisen) arranged for the remaining passengers to transfer to another river cruise ship to continue their voyage.
Police have launched an investigation into the accident, while a judicial inquiry is also underway. Authorities indicated that investigators are examining whether a technical malfunction may have contributed to the collision.
Witnesses reported seeing a large emergency response at the Freudenau lock, with vehicles from the Vienna Fire Department, police and ambulance services deployed to the scene.
Built in 2019, Anna Katharina has a passenger capacity of 180 and operates river cruises on the Rhine, Main, and Danube. The vessel remained afloat following the accident, and no flooding was reported. The cause of the collision has not yet been established, and investigations are continuing.
Note: Actually, this type of marine accident is called “allision” (striking a fixed object) as opposed to “collision” (striking another vessel).
The Freudenau Lock is a major river lock system (at the Freudenau hydropower station in Vienna) that features two large chambers that lower or raise ships by 6,8 m/22 ft to maintain safe navigation and water levels along the waterway. The lock's length is 275 m/902 ft and width (per chamber) 24 m/79 ft.