Viking river cruise collides with ship on the Rhine

The Viking Kvasir was involved in a serious collision in Germany. Photo / Rolf Heinrich, CC

Cruise vessel the Viking Kvasir was involved in a collision with another vessel, in foggy conditions on the Rhine river northern Germany.

The Cruise line confirmed that the incident took place near Wesel on Sunday, saying there were passengers onboard the ship when it ploughed into a cargo ship.

"There were no significant injuries among guests or crew," a spokesperson told media and the ship was cleared to sail on later that day but not without taking significant damage.

Photos shared by cruise guests showed carnage aboard the vessel. A busy breakfast buffet was toppled as passengers were waking up and a deep gouge was made to the prow of the vessel, smashing glass barriers on the observation deck.

Photos taken by a #cruise guest - @VikingCruises Viking Kvasir collides with unidentified ship on the Rhine river near Wesel, Germany . . . pic.twitter.com/9ofGlfYJ8N

— James (Jim) Walker (@CruiseLaw) September 11, 2022

"The first officer was piloting the ship this morning in heavy fog and there was another barge/ship that was apparently sideways," a guest told legal blog, Cruise Law News.

The Viking Kvasir is a 443-foot long ship with accommodation for 190 passengers and 50 crew.

The incident happened at 6:50AM, local time while most guests were still in bed. The first thing they felt was a jolt of engines being thrown into full reverse, followed by "a massive crash and the sound of breaking glass in our room".

Maritime Lawyer Jim Walker wrote that the ship claimed to have video proof that the other vessel was at fault.

The other ship was not identified.

The Hotel Manager said that everything had been done by the first officer to avert collision and that the crew suffered only minor injuries. One crew member was reportedly treated for burns and another for minor cuts, as the collision had occurred during a busy breakfast prep-time for guests.

This is the sixth incident involving Viking River cruises in the last six years, with the latest involving Viking Hermod in July this year.