Viking river ship grounds on Danube during low water levels

All 186 passengers on board a Viking river cruise ship have been safely evacuated after the vessel ran aground on the Danube River in Bulgaria due to low water levels.

Viking Ullur came into contact with a sandbank near Vidin yesterday morning (July 28).

Bulgarian Border Police safely transferred all passengers ashore using a patrol boat, and no injuries were reported among the guests or crew.

A spokesperson for Viking said: “We can confirm that Viking Ullur experienced a grounding incident on the Danube River after coming into contact with a sandbank 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.

“Guests have been safely transferred ashore and will continue their planned itinerary with a full day in Bucharest before concluding on Thursday as scheduled.”

Built in 2019, Viking Ullur has a capacity for 190 passengers and 53 crew members.