Low water disrupts river cruises across Europe
Hot, dry conditions have contributed to stranded ships, groundings and itinerary changes on major European waterways.
Weeks of sunshine, high temperatures and little rainfall have lowered major European rivers to levels not seen in years, according to the report, disrupting cruise operations. Some river ships became stranded north of Budapest, while shallow water also caused problems through Austria’s Wachau Valley, west of Vienna.
On the Rhine, two passenger ships recently ran aground, and other vessels reportedly scraped their hulls on the riverbed. Viking Einar had to be refloated after becoming stuck near Cologne in June. More recently, the Swiss river cruise vessel Thurgau Gold became stranded on a sandbank at Bonn and was towed free.
Low water also forced changes to a Danube itinerary aboard Uniworld’s SS Emilie before the ship departed Vienna. Some stretches had become impassable, preventing the vessel from reaching Regensburg or Nuremberg, where the cruise had been scheduled to end.
The revised program retained most of the original port visits. Passengers were offered a day-long coach trip to Regensburg, while Linz replaced Nuremberg on the itinerary. A full-day excursion to Salzburg was available from Linz.