Viking Riverboat Hits Bridge, Two Crewmembers Killed

[notamermaid]

News reports through dpa say that the police have now confirmed for the first time that they suspect that the accident was caused by human error. So, the investigation is still ongoing and has not been completed. As it stands now there is no sign of a technical fault.

 

Viking have updated their website, now just saying that the Viking Feya will be out of service for the remainder of 2016.

 

notamermaid

Edited October 2, 2016 by notamermaid
additional information

[burrma]

Thanks Notamermaid; how sad when there were two people in pilot house who were in charge. What is "dpa" Can we read more on this site?

[TravelerThom]

... What is "dpa"...

I assume Deutsche Presse-Agentur (German News Agency), a news agency founded in 1949 in Germany

[notamermaid]

Hello burrma,

 

sorry about this, for me it is so normal I forget other people might not know this: dpa is the Deutsche Presseagentur, a major publishing channel for any sort of news in Germany. I read four similar texts on several websites and the source of all those is dpa. It could well be that the police spokesperson passed it on to dpa to be made available to the press (their releases do not go straight to the public, i.e. you and me). You will unlikely find any more on the subject but the news could be picked up by an American news reporter from the dpa original text and he then translates it for his newspaper. All the reports I have read are very short and similar in wording. Therefore I chose not to link them (and to avoid you those annoying ads quite literally left, right and centre on the screen).

 

I think if someone wanted to pursue this more professionally one had best contact the police in Erlangen.

 

I will try and keep following this to see if there will be a final report published and then the result being made available to the press.

 

added: Thank you, TravelerThom, for helping so quickly.

 

notamermaid

Edited October 2, 2016 by notamermaid
answer from TravelerThom

[philw1776]

Appreciate the factual updates.

Heading off on a Viking river cruise from Amsterdam down the Rhine to Basel starting this Tuesday.

[burrma]

Thanks again Notamermaid for the short version; will count on you and do appreciate you keeping us informed.

Has been any comments about or from The Captain? I know he was either off duty or not in pilot house but wondering is he has had anything to say about the accident?

[notamermaid]

The captain was off-duty. I have not read anything about comments from him directly. In one of the videos that where published of the rescue operation I saw him walking along the sun deck. What a terrible day for him and the crew.

 

notamermaid

[notamermaid]

Hello philw1776,

 

Appreciate the factual updates.

Heading off on a Viking river cruise from Amsterdam down the Rhine to Basel starting this Tuesday.

 

Topographically you will of course be going up the Rhine. :) But more important will be that you have a safe journey and a great cruise. The autumn colours are not here yet, but perhaps you will see them turning slowly as you go along.

 

notamermaid

[philw1776]

Yes, we'll be headed south fighting the current with France to starboard and Germany to port at times. Jacked & pumped.

I'm an engineer, thinking about tech improvements to reduce possibilities of future mishaps.

[aleeoc]

Many of the Freya passengers stayed in touch via Facebook.

1. We all got an email last week stating that we were receiving 50% of what we paid for "cruise fare" (excluding airfare, extras) would be refunded - quickly afterward we all got direct refunds in this amount to our credit cards/bank accounts.

2. In addition, we received emailed vouchers for 50% of what we paid for "cruise fare" which could be applied to another cruise (river or ocean). Trip must be booked w/in 1 year and voucher is nontransferable.

3. Some are satisfied, many are not, particularly the ones that really dislike traveling by bus and elected to book a river cruise in the first place to avoid all the things that that they hated about the trip that we actually got - the strict schedule, no choice menu, lack of flexibility, etc. And the ones who are not going to cruise again - to them the voucher is worthless. Many people did call Viking and asked to speak to higher ups and were told "the executive committee met and this is what you get - take it or leave it". Some are filing claims with their travel insurance on the basis of cancelled or interrupted trips - I guess it depends out your insurance whether you would get some type of partial refund?

4. For myself, I would be happy if the credit and the voucher would actually cover another trip, but when I asked the agent to price out several other trips, no matter how she tried, they all came out thousands more than the one I took, even with a lesser cabin. She said more discounts might come up later, but who knows? We don't want to pay a few thousand dollars more to take the one trip we should have had in the first place, so ultimately, we may not be able to use these vouchers after all. Since we still have high school age kids, our available travel dates are limited because we have to have our college kids come home to "watch" them and of course the times when we can go, well those are the most expensive.

5. As for the being forced to spend my on board credit in the gift shop instead of being able to use it for gratuities or a refund, well, turns out that's not Viking's fault. We had rec'd a shipboard credit which we never used because we were never on the ship long enough to do anything - I read the fine print and it does say if you don't use it, you lose it and can't use it for tips. But then again, how can you use it if you have no ship?:)

6. On a happier note, just booked an incredible deal on RCI out of Bayonne NJ 12/16/16 to 12/23/16. Am guessing this is not a popular week because inside cabins are less than 500 and balconies are less than 700 per person. The following week is triple the price, but at least we will get take SOME type of a cruise this year as our college kids will be home and we will take a quick trip before xmas. This will be our first RCI trip ever so any advice there appreciated - so far I am told "book everything you can online before you board the ship".

[CPT Trips]

Those after Thanksgivinf pre Christmas cruises out of the NY/NJ are usually bargains.

 

I'm curious, was your shipboard credit from a TA? Was your cruise on Viking a last minute deal?

[Canal archive]

Well if the authorities find that the blam lies with the two unfortunate crew members who lost their lives the repairs will be covered by the insurance and no compensation paid to their families. If only a few take up the future credit vouchers who is in pocket well Viking. With not all the cruise completed and even giving 50% refund they won't be out of pocket. What a sad outcome for all concerned. CA

[Got2Cruise]

The entire cruise was a fiasco. Viking needs to step up and do what's right. Not what they are legally obligated to do because of some small print.

[Mark_T]

The entire cruise was a fiasco. Viking needs to step up and do what's right. Not what they are legally obligated to do because of some small print.

 

Looks like they already went well beyond the 'small print'.

 

Hard for anyone who wasn't there to comment meaningfully, but it sure sounds like way too much went wrong and it wasn't much of a cruise, but it wasn't completely nothing either.

 

I'm not going to tell others how they should feel, but I'd hope if we were ever in similar circumstances I wouldn't be too offended by an immediate 50% refund and a 50% voucher for the rest.

 

Sometimes it is better to put bad things behind you and move on rather than keep those feelings alive while fighting for improvements in an offer like this, but each to their own of course...

[RDC1]

Many of the Freya passengers stayed in touch via Facebook.

1. We all got an email last week stating that we were receiving 50% of what we paid for "cruise fare" (excluding airfare, extras) would be refunded - quickly afterward we all got direct refunds in this amount to our credit cards/bank accounts.

2. In addition, we received emailed vouchers for 50% of what we paid for "cruise fare" which could be applied to another cruise (river or ocean). Trip must be booked w/in 1 year and voucher is nontransferable.

3. Some are satisfied, many are not, particularly the ones that really dislike traveling by bus and elected to book a river cruise in the first place to avoid all the things that that they hated about the trip that we actually got - the strict schedule, no choice menu, lack of flexibility, etc. And the ones who are not going to cruise again - to them the voucher is worthless. Many people did call Viking and asked to speak to higher ups and were told "the executive committee met and this is what you get - take it or leave it". Some are filing claims with their travel insurance on the basis of cancelled or interrupted trips - I guess it depends out your insurance whether you would get some type of partial refund?

4. For myself, I would be happy if the credit and the voucher would actually cover another trip, but when I asked the agent to price out several other trips, no matter how she tried, they all came out thousands more than the one I took, even with a lesser cabin. She said more discounts might come up later, but who knows? We don't want to pay a few thousand dollars more to take the one trip we should have had in the first place, so ultimately, we may not be able to use these vouchers after all. Since we still have high school age kids, our available travel dates are limited because we have to have our college kids come home to "watch" them and of course the times when we can go, well those are the most expensive.

5. As for the being forced to spend my on board credit in the gift shop instead of being able to use it for gratuities or a refund, well, turns out that's not Viking's fault. We had rec'd a shipboard credit which we never used because we were never on the ship long enough to do anything - I read the fine print and it does say if you don't use it, you lose it and can't use it for tips. But then again, how can you use it if you have no ship?:)

6. On a happier note, just booked an incredible deal on RCI out of Bayonne NJ 12/16/16 to 12/23/16. Am guessing this is not a popular week because inside cabins are less than 500 and balconies are less than 700 per person. The following week is triple the price, but at least we will get take SOME type of a cruise this year as our college kids will be home and we will take a quick trip before xmas. This will be our first RCI trip ever so any advice there appreciated - so far I am told "book everything you can online before you board the ship".

 

Will be interesting to see if those filing with their insurance have any success.

 

I would expect not because usually they do not cover lack of performance by the travel vendor (you need specific coverage for that) and also because apparently people were given a choice to cancel after the accident or get moved to the other ship. If they had chosen to cancel then they might have a better chance, but probably not for those that chose to switch. For those that switched it is the same situation where a river cruise gets converted to a bus tour, insurance usually does not pay out when that happens.

 

What did those that chose to cancel immediately after the accident receive?

[Got2Cruise]

Looks like they already went well beyond the 'small print'.

 

Hard for anyone who wasn't there to comment meaningfully, but it sure sounds like way too much went wrong and it wasn't much of a cruise, but it wasn't completely nothing either.

 

I'm not going to tell others how they should feel, but I'd hope if we were ever in similar circumstances I wouldn't be too offended by an immediate 50% refund and a 50% voucher for the rest.

 

Sometimes it is better to put bad things behind you and move on rather than keep those feelings alive while fighting for improvements in an offer like this, but each to their own of course...

 

 

 

Of course move on, but there are many unanswered questions as to the cause of the accident and Viking's culpability. That's what future cruisers need to know. If Viking mishandled things on the corporate side. It seems as Viking thinks everyone will just forget about it. Folks on CC never forget. lol

[Mark_T]

Of course move on, but there are many unanswered questions as to the cause of the accident and Viking's culpability.

 

On the matter of the accident itself I agree, there is much left to be answered, but given the nature of the accident and the investigation I don't know if we'll ever really know what happened unfortunately.

 

As a past and probably future Viking passenger I look at the huge number of literally identical ships that are routinely sailing under low bridges at night and not hitting them and am forced to the conclusion that it seems unlikely that there is an inherent flaw in either the design or the operational guidelines for these ships, so this one accident wouldn't sway me against sailing on a sister ship.

 

I might have some hesitation about sailing on this particular ship were it not for the apparent complete destruction of the bridge and the related mechanisms so I'd have to assume, unless it is shown otherwise, that any lingering flaws specific to this ship will have been remedied in the reconstruction, so on balance I don't think I'd worry about sailing on this ship either.

 

We just have to hope that there is something to base a verdict on at the end of this and just an absence of anything specific which would be a very poor result leaving only uncertainty and doubt over everything.

[philw1776]

Onboard Viking Lofn now Got tour of ridge by Captain. Interesting Will post info and photos after trip over

[notamermaid]

On the matter of the accident itself I agree, there is much left to be answered, but given the nature of the accident and the investigation I don't know if we'll ever really know what happened unfortunately.

 

As a past and probably future Viking passenger I look at the huge number of literally identical ships that are routinely sailing under low bridges at night and not hitting them and am forced to the conclusion that it seems unlikely that there is an inherent flaw in either the design or the operational guidelines for these ships, so this one accident wouldn't sway me against sailing on a sister ship.

 

I might have some hesitation about sailing on this particular ship were it not for the apparent complete destruction of the bridge and the related mechanisms so I'd have to assume, unless it is shown otherwise, that any lingering flaws specific to this ship will have been remedied in the reconstruction, so on balance I don't think I'd worry about sailing on this ship either.

 

We just have to hope that there is something to base a verdict on at the end of this and just an absence of anything specific which would be a very poor result leaving only uncertainty and doubt over everything.

 

The accident itself was a tragic, hopefully one-off incident, and it is good to move on. Generally speaking it does not make the Viking ships more accident-prone than any other. In fact, being among the youngest ships they will be some of the overall safest. Yet the whole thing leaves something to be desired, hopefully this feeling while go away with me when a report is published and some more open press coverage of the issue of the low bridges in the canal has the effect of alerting more people from inside the business and outsiders to it.

 

Recently I read a report on a a company that earlier this year presented their innovation for a kind of radar detector for bridges. A bit technically for me really, but it seems to send a message to the wheelhouse computer from a bridge when the vessel is approaching it. I imagine the effect is the same as when bats avoid structures.

 

With the sailing at night under so many low bridges and the ships being built to such specifics that it is impossible to sail under some bridges with the railings up (quite literally only a few centimetres headroom at times) electronic devices to aid at night are very much welcome.

 

Another thing that I fear will not be established is as to why the bridge was hit when two men where in the wheelhouse. Were they tragically in accordance with each other as to what had to be done? Assuming it was human error, as is currently suggested.

 

Aleeoc,

 

Thank your for the latest info. I would tend to think that here Viking has gone beyond the small print which seems to be not very favorable for North American customers. Yet, I am not fully happy with the conduct of the management for the passengers sake, in tone and somewhat as regards money.

 

I will come back to the aspect of terms and conditions of travel in a later post.

 

notamermaid

[CPT Trips]

Well, just to add to the speculation . . .

There were a couple Viking ships this summer that "crashed" in the vicinity of bridges. Might the crew have been attempting to buy time because the bridge wasn't lowering and lost control?

[Squigmond]

Well, just to add to the speculation . . .

There were a couple Viking ships this summer that "crashed" in the vicinity of bridges. Might the crew have been attempting to buy time because the bridge wasn't lowering and lost control?

 

If we are going to speculate: Maybe it was extraterrestrials that don't like Vikings practices and decided to step in and cause problems for CC people to speculate about.

 

Maybe those of you that have been abducted by Aliens could shed more light.

 

Because I know some of you are sarcasm challenged......this is sarcasm.

[CPT Trips]

:p :rolleyes

[Got2Cruise]

If we are going to speculate: Maybe it was extraterrestrials that don't like Vikings practices and decided to step in and cause problems for CC people to speculate about.

 

 

 

Maybe those of you that have been abducted by Aliens could shed more light.

 

 

 

Because I know some of you are sarcasm challenged......this is sarcasm.

 

 

 

Why would you be sarcastic when there has been loss of life? Are you mocking those of us who want to know the cause of the accident and whether it could have been prevented?

Edited October 7, 2016 by Got2Cruise

[Mark_T]

Why would you be sarcastic when there has been loss of life? Are you mocking those of us who want to know the cause of the accident and whether it could have been prevented?

 

I think it is ultimately unhelpful to randomly speculate about what might or might not have happened in earlier incidents and this was an attempt to say that without being more direct.

 

So apologies for being direct.

[TravelerThom]

Has it been confirmed that is or is not a hatch in the roof of Longship pilothouses? I've seen pictures that look like there are, but have never seen a picture of one open on Viking. If there is a hatch and if it was me a n the pilothouse, I'd have the pilothouse lowered well before upcoming obstructions (well before meaning while the boat could be easily stopped). We don't know that there was retraction failure, but we also don't know that there wasn't. If it was my life on the line, I'd think that would be the prudent course.

 

Thom