Viking has confirmed that one of its river ships, Viking Ullur, ran aground on the Danube on Wednesday.
It said the ship ‘experienced a grounding incident’ after ‘coming into contact with a sandback’ near Vidin in north-west Bulgaria.
The line said the incident occurred during a period of ‘exceptionally low water levels’.
“The safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew is always our highest priority. There were no injuries to guests or crew, and the vessel remained safe throughout the incident,” added Viking.
“Guests have been safely transferred ashore and will continue their planned itinerary with a full day in Bucharest before concluding on Thursday as scheduled.”
Bulgaria’s Border Police assisted the evacuation, taking the 186 guests to shore using a patrol boat.
In recent weeks, several river cruise operators – including Viking – have been forced to cancel cruises or amend itineraries on both the Danube and the Rhine due to low water levels.
Meanwhile, Viking said it has taken delivery of its newest longship, the 190-guest Viking Dagur, which will sail on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.
Image is a stock photo of Viking Ullur
