Viking Riverboat Hits Bridge, Two Crewmembers Killed

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I second that Viking needs to step up and give all pax full credit for a cruise re-do. These poor folks had the cruise from h e double l.

 

I'd be shocked if this was not a given. Has Viking not offered full refunds or a cruise credit?

[aleeoc]

So far - 25% refund on cruise fare only (not air, excursions, etc) and 50% off future cruise. Let's just say overall reaction to this was less than thrilled. Some people of course, we're happy to offered anything and some were ready to call their lawyers - or they WERE lawyers....but most people I heard say they want a full refund AND a voucher for 50-75% off or vice versa- a replacement trip and a partial refund. Most wanted to hear some kind of follow up explanation, too. How did this happen? What is Viking doing to change their equipment or maintenance or fail safe backup systems to prevent this from happening again? What if the boat had not been wedged under the bridge? Would we have been a runaways ship with no wheelhouse and no steering and no way to stop? What was done for those poor men's families? From what I am now reading online this is not the first incident, this was just the first fatal one and there have been other less serious mishaps that did not attract as much attention. Was that not a chance to fix things earlier? Or did they do so and this was new and different? I'd want to know these before I got on another ship!

[aleeoc]

And all the while when bad news was being handed out, no cruising into Budapest for example, they were still charging for drinks and showing a PowerPoint slide show saying you are disembarking early to get on the bus but settle your account first - visa, cash, etc accepted. Really? Would this not have been a good time to say, so sorry for the bad news and tonight, the drinks are on the house?

[Cairn Mom]

Class action lawsuit on behalf of all the passengers on your cruise? Maybe one of the lawyers will organize it. At the very least, all the passengers on your trip deserve full credit toward another cruise. I agree, you deserve answers,actually, all Viking customers deserve them. Good luck! Please keep us updated.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Edited September 18, 2016 by Cairn Mom

[notamermaid]

aleeoc,

 

Thank you for reporting back.

 

A thought on your notion of a "runaway ship": with all passengers asleep and most crew off duty I reckon the Freya would have sailed on uncontrolled, but not for long. I imagine a hard bump on the embankment and passengers falling out of bed if none of the crew were fast enough to get to "emergency controls". One can steer a ship from the side of the deck, it happens in locks. But a captain would be able to give a more accurate scenario. A factor in this is also speed, five days ago it had not been determined if the Freya had already slowed down, as she was approaching the lock.

 

As regards refund: it is still early in the day, you are stronger in numbers so do keep up the social media.

 

As regards emotional matters: a (private) wreath laying might be a good gesture. Something like a road side cross after car accidents. Just saying, such incidents can cause traumas and it is one way of dealing with it.

 

I do feel sorry for the captain (master of the Freya), a terrible time it must be.

 

As regards future safety: a report will be issued, but not made public as standard procedure I don't think. It has been mentioned on this thread that there was a technical issue with the wheelhouse in 2014. Human errors do occur (especially at night - and according to statistics highest risk is around 2am due to the body clock/brain set-up of humans) and low bridges are notorious.

 

This has not been the first for Viking - as you said -, I remember reading about an interview in June (i.e. I read it in June - cannot remember the date of the interview) with a Viking official saying that statistically Viking has more accidents as they have more ships on the rivers than any other company.

 

Other companies have had problems with wheelhouses scraping lock gates and bridges. During the past 10 days I have come across at least seven different incidents reported over the last three years, I remember one more from earlier. That makes eight I know of, three of those are Viking. I am sure there are a dozen more incidents with the various companies I have not read about. Most notorious was a bridge on the Main-Danube-Canal that was demolished (by order of the local authority) a couple of years ago. A danger spot is a low bridge in Passau. There is talk of raising it (just talk, no plan).

 

Apart from bridges being hit there are the odd bumps with other ships, hitting sandbanks, fires, etc. Luckily modern boats are relatively safe and accidents are still few and far between. But you will hear about more, statistically, as indeed there is more traffic than there was five years ago. Unless ships and humans (themselves) further improve on safety.

 

Oh yes, mystery solved: how do you tow a ship through a lock? The answer has been provided courtesy of BR (local Bavarian news): http://www.br.de/nachrichten/mittelfranken/bergung-hotelschiff-erlangen-100.html

 

The special towboat called "Joson" from Nijmegen in the Netherlands is a two-part vessel, one section attached to the bow of the "Freya" the other part to the stern. Interesting (but nevertheless sad) photos.

 

Aleeoc, one more thing. There was no "we are sorry about the incident" ... "we are doing everything we can and will get back to you later with a statement/letter/follow-up"-kind of conversation? No last drink on the house and "get back home safely" thing? Hmmm...

 

I hope you and all other passengers of the Freya get to experience the dream river cruise you were looking forward to very soon. You very much deserve it.

 

notamermaid

Edited September 18, 2016 by notamermaid

[Got2Cruise]

The Cruise Critic community will be watching how this unfolds. We all have good memories, this won't be swept under the rug and forgotten.

[pully8]

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com.au/my-trip/about-my-cruise/current-sailings.html this included a statement about the FREYA.

 

saying...a vast number of the passengers chose to continue the journey...presumably the bus trip.

 

wonder how many opted to leave after the cruise was aborted? pretty sorry state of affairs from some accounts.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com.au/my-trip/about-my-cruise/current-sailings.html this included a statement about the FREYA.

 

saying...a vast number of the passengers chose to continue the journey...presumably the bus trip.

 

wonder how many opted to leave after the cruise was aborted? pretty sorry state of affairs from some accounts.

 

I wonder if "choosing" to continue the journey included signing a waiver that you were foregoing refunds. Awful situation.

 

As for a wreath, sure, nice gesture, but...a monetary fund of some kind I think. Have they even released details of who the two dead crew members were and whether they had families?

[Got2Cruise]

I wonder if "choosing" to continue the journey included signing a waiver that you were foregoing refunds. Awful situation.

 

 

 

As for a wreath, sure, nice gesture, but...a monetary fund of some kind I think. Have they even released details of who the two dead crew members were and whether they had families?

 

 

 

All the pax were in shock I'm sure. Made to sit in a school for hours in a foreign country. All the information was not known and then the lock disaster when they finally were able to get on the ship, they had to get off.

 

It's called public relations and good will. It's not about what Viking is legally obligated to do. It's about doing the right thing. Even though, there is a good chance that the crash was caused by human error of a Viking employee.

[philw1776]

I wonder if "choosing" to continue the journey included signing a waiver that you were foregoing refunds.

 

Where did this come from?

[Lviathn]

A Facebook page (Freya Travelers)has been setup so the travelers onboard during the accident may discuss how Viking treated them after the accident.

[RDVIK2016]

notamermaid, thank you for your informative posts. Your link to the bridge clearance table was certainly a lot less cumbersome than the data I had found at http://www.fgs.wsv.de/kostenlose_downloads/produkte_muster/images/Streckenatlas_MDK.pdf

I have also been looking for information on the height of the Viking Longships in various configurations. For example: (1) minumum height of top of wheelhouse above the water surface at maximum draft (which I think is two meters) and (2)The maximum height of the top of the wheelhouse at minimum draft (1.6 or 1.7 meters) and any interim dimensions that might be available. I was hoping you or one of the other knowledgeable posters would know where that info resides.

In May of this year my wife and I traveled with another couple aboard Viking Njord on the Romantic Danube cruise (westbound). We loved just about everything about the crew, the ship and the itinerary. As I remember it, we were introduced to the master as "Captain" and the two other qualified pilots as "his officers". (Our captain was Bulgarian and the Officers were Slovaks).

I was a little disappointed that we had no access topside on the sundeck while in the canal because the railings were laid down at all times. At other times on the Danube we were able remain topside while we passed under most bridges - the railings were up but occasionally the wheelhouse was partially retracted for those bridges. One of the officers told me that the one bridge on the Danube that is likely to give them trouble from time to time is a bridge at Bogen near Straubing.

[Canal archive]

Notamermaid, fascinating the 'Joson' luckily the lock was long enough to accommodate the extra length.

Maybe the photo angle's were a bit deceptive but for the boat to get wedged, was the water level a little high or was the boat not correctly ballasted or maybe the pictures were taken after the passengers had been disembarked with their luggage we may never know but the way Vikiing treating the passengers now and in the future will be very telling. I do hope their treatment of the crew and the families of the two lost crew members is sympathetic.

We will be all watching this space for good news. CA

[notamermaid]

A short video from the BR video data bank, same station I got the photos from yesterday: http://www.br.de/mediathek/video/sendungen/nachrichten/havariertes-schiff-erlangen-100.html

 

Nothing new in the short commentary other than that the journey to Linz will probably take three days. According to a newspaper article to Freya is currently near Passau and can only be towed as it has rained considerably ove the weekend. On Friday still, the water level was to low. Which is also good news for all river cruise ships, of course.

 

@Wendy The Wanderer. A monetary fund, now that sounds a very helpful thing to set up. As regards the identity of the deceased: The German news disclosed the ages and the fact that they were Hungarian, more is unlikely to be published (quite frankly the incident is still minor as cruel as it sounds as there were no Germans involved or people of major interest to the German public), even if consent is given, data protection does mean in Germany full names are not given unless it is a public figure like a politician for example. The British press publishes full names and also photos sometimes. The Hungarian press might be different, perhaps the area where they were from would devote a full article to the tragedy.

 

@RDVIK2016 if you would like to follow-up on the dimensions of the ship: the Neptun-Werft in Rostock built the longships. http://www.neptunwerft.de/en/neptunwerft_de/schiffe/flusskreuzfahrtschiffe/viking_river_cruises/longships_fuer_viking_river_cruises_1.jsp

 

I saw a fascinating programme on a media archive site yesterday. A Northern German TV documentary filmed the shipbuilders in Rostock as they were working on the Viking Mimir, from the basic welding of the hull to her first test sail in the open waters near Rostock. Some great info, all in German of course, so I will not link this. Amazing to find out that they are all identical, the 10 ships I mean that they built in the shipyard over one year, down to the last plinth. Only the name plate and other identification numbers are different from ship to ship.

 

notamermaid

Edited September 19, 2016 by notamermaid
Additional info concerning the towing

[caviargal]

Amazing to find out that they are all identical, the 10 ships I mean that they built in the shipyard over one year, down to the last plinth. Only the name plate and other identification numbers are different from ship to ship.

 

notamermaid

 

They certainly all look completely interchangeable.

 

I was appalled to read about guests being seated for a slide presentation and being charged for drinks, while they were likely very shaken up and entitled to information and some compassion. Even in this situation it appears to be all about the money for Viking.

 

The truth will eventually come out about the reasons for this terrible accident.

Edited September 19, 2016 by caviargal

[notamermaid]

Please take a moment and a deep breath before reading this as this is a newspaper article from Hungary (in Hungarian, but we all have google translate) about the accident, if you cannot take this easily you might consider not looking:

 

http://www.blikk.hu/aktualis/kulfold/o-az-egyik-magyar-aldozata-a-tragikus-hajoszerencsetlensegnek/tc1gd95

 

Rest in peace.

 

notamermaid

Edited September 19, 2016 by notamermaid

[chengkp75]

 

Amazing to find out that they are all identical, the 10 ships I mean that they built in the shipyard over one year, down to the last plinth. Only the name plate and other identification numbers are different from ship to ship.

 

notamermaid

 

Not sure why its so amazing that 10 vessels in a class are identical. That is the definition of a "class of ships". It is far cheaper to get one set of drawings evaluated and approved by the classification society and the flag state, and also cheaper for the shipyard to just cookie cutter the ships. Once the shipyard has programmed the machines, it is cheaper and quicker to cut 10 sets of hull plates and frames, then to cut one set, reprogram to cut a slightly different set, and so on.

[notamermaid]

Hello chengkp75,

 

for a laymen like me, who never gets to see the technical side of shipbuilding, it is just fascinating to see. Of course, it makes perfect sense. Plain mass production, but the details of the documentary still in my mind, I am just impressed by what I have seen. Everyday stuff for the experienced technician, I suppose. "Cookie cutter", I like that expression!

 

notamermaid

[chengkp75]

Hello chengkp75,

 

for a laymen like me, who never gets to see the technical side of shipbuilding, it is just fascinating to see. Of course, it makes perfect sense. Plain mass production, but the details of the documentary still in my mind, I am just impressed by what I have seen. Everyday stuff for the experienced technician, I suppose. "Cookie cutter", I like that expression!

 

notamermaid

 

I see your point. Remember, when a yard is building several ships in a class, they don't just have one ship building at a time, but there will be one ship in a wet dock finishing, one ship in a drydock being assembled, one ship in blocks on the ground, and one ship with steel shapes being cut. As much as "mass production" as shipbuilding gets. My latest ship was built in a drydock with the previous and next ship in the class actually in the drydock with us. They built the aft section, then "scooted" it forward in the drydock to complete the forward end, while they built the aft section of the next ship. Once our ship was ready to launch, they put a divider into the dock to separate the two hull, they flooded the front of the dock, took our ship out, then closed the dock, pumped it out, removed the divider, and scooted the next ship forward to prepare for the aft section of the next ship.

[philw1776]

Not sure why its so amazing that 10 vessels in a class are identical. That is the definition of a "class of ships". It is far cheaper to get one set of drawings evaluated and approved by the classification society and the flag state, and also cheaper for the shipyard to just cookie cutter the ships. Once the shipyard has programmed the machines, it is cheaper and quicker to cut 10 sets of hull plates and frames, then to cut one set, reprogram to cut a slightly different set, and so on.

 

Don't understand the amazement either as Viking advertises their trademarked Longships as being the same. All deck layouts are the same. The only notable difference is the name on the side and the large artwork at the top pf the stairs depicting the named Viking God. Some newest Longships have slight in cabin improvements based on customer feedback. It's not like Uniworld who decorates each ship very differently with large amounts of artwork.

 

Hopefully this tragedy leads to operational improvements.

[steamboats]

I´ve been to Warnemünde in July and saw two longships in Neptun Werft there. One is the Viking Herja. I don´t remember the second name (might have been Viking Hild which is supposed to come in 2017). You can see photos here.The Viking website currently lists 46 longships. They had 6 new ships announced for this year, 10 in 2015, 12 in 2014, 10 in 2013, 6 in 2012. The only way you can do it is mass production.

 

steamboats

[pully8]

the more we hear about the fatalities and how people were treated after the incident the worse it gets.

 

I can fully understand people who elected not to continue on the trip once the cruise was aborted. according to the Viking statement many opted to continue with the bus trip arrangements.

 

given the circumstances in which the passengers found themselves, woken in the middle of the night told to get dressed and sit in the dining room for hours...no prospect of the cruise continuing. 2 dead crew to be retrieved and passengers not able to be leave the ship until a structure was erected apparently, it must have been horrific.

 

thankfully there was no fire or electrical dangers on board. one would expect assistance to leave and a full refund. pussyfooting around with maybe this will happen or that with buses/hotels/another ship sometime. is not satisfactory.

[notamermaid]

Just as a side note:

 

the following day after the Freya accident the Phoenix Anesha (a German ship) ran into the embankment South East of Bratislava. Noone was injured but the captain was taken to hospital feeling unwell, there is talk of him having been under the influence of alcohol. The ship had only minor damage but a structure on the embankment had to be inspected. For that the water level was lowered with the help of the nearest lock. If anyone has experienced delays in that area it could have been due to that incident. I could not find a follow-up on that story.

 

notamermaid

[Mark_T]

...one would expect assistance to leave and a full refund. pussyfooting around with maybe this will happen or that with buses/hotels/another ship sometime. is not satisfactory.

 

Personally I'd say that you'd still have people complaining if they were send home immediately with a full refund so I don't think it is wrong to offer people a choice.

[Hydrokitty]

Please take a moment and a deep breath before reading this as this is a newspaper article from Hungary (in Hungarian, but we all have google translate) about the accident, if you cannot take this easily you might consider not looking:

 

http://www.blikk.hu/aktualis/kulfold/o-az-egyik-magyar-aldozata-a-tragikus-hajoszerencsetlensegnek/tc1gd95

 

Rest in peace.

 

notamermaid

 

My God....these poor men never had a chance...what a shame...how about instead of a trip refund donations are made to their families?