Small Ship Cruise News: River Boat Hits Bridge on Main-Danube Canal

Sep 12, 2016 | 0

River Boat Hits Bridge

Around 1:30am local time on September 11th while sailing on the Main-Danube Canal en route to Budapest, Viking River Cruises’ VIKING FREYA struck a rail bridge shortly after casting off from Erlangen, Germany, and tragically its wheelhouse was crushed.

The scene of the Viking Freya accident. Photo: Reuters

Two crew members inside of the wheelhouse were killed. Normal procedures are for the wheelhouse to be retracted before passing under a low bridge and raised again on the other side.

It’s not yet known why this didn’t occur with the VIKING FREYA.

The 181 passengers and 47 other crew members were not injured.

Don’t miss a post about small-ship cruising, subscribe to QuirkyCruise.com for monthly updates & special offers!

About The Author

QuirkyCruise

Ted & Heidi are long-time travel writers with a penchant for small ship cruising. Between them they've traveled all over the world aboard hundreds and hundreds of small cruise ships of all kinds, from river boats to expedition vessels and sailing ships.

About Us

HEIDI SARNA

I'm up to 78 countries and 110+ cruises worldwide, and it's the small ship journeys that I love writing about most. And so QuirkyCruise.com was born, an excellent research tool for planning your own unforgettable small ship trip.

THEODORE W. SCULL

I have traveled between all continents by sea and cruised along three dozen rivers. Ships and travel are in my blood, and so is writing. My journeys have translated into many books and many hundreds of articles.

More...

Our Small Ship Cruise Reviews & Articles

If you can imagine it, we’ve cruised it! With reviews, articles and destination overviews, we’ve got you covered.

Viking Eastern Seaboard Explorer Cruise, Including the St. Lawrence Seaway — Peter Knego Reviews the Viking Polaris

Viking Eastern Seaboard Explorer Cruise By Peter Knego It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Viking and have been since first laying eyes on a rendering of the soon-to-be Viking Star at a cruise industry preview event in 2013. I was thrilled to see a new ocean-going...

More Murray River Cruise Options as Australia’s Murray River Adds a New Sidewheeler to its Fleet

Murray River Cruise By Ted Scull For Australia, the mention of river cruises would probably result in blank stares from most people, leaving them in the dark. Such cruises are plentiful in Europe, North America, Asia, and to a lesser extent in South America (Amazon,...

Variety Cruises Galileo Review by QuirkyCruise Reader Jay Katz

Variety Cruises Galileo Reviewer Jay Katz from USA. Cruise Line Variety Cruises. Ship The 49-passenger Galileo. Destination Greece. # of Nights 8. Departure Port Athens, Greece. Date of Cruise Oct 18, 2024. Ratings (5=excellent, 4=very good, 3=good, 2=poor,...

Celebrating Victory Cruise Lines Return to the Great Lakes

Victory Cruise Lines Return By Peter Barnes As an occasional Quirky Cruise contributor, I was invited to a memorable dinner held at the Chef’s Dinner Table in Lower Manhattan last week to celebrate the launch of Victory Cruise Lines. John Waggoner, CEO of Victory and...

Majestic’s Glen Etive — Scotsman Robin McKelvie Reviews the 12-Pax Glen Etive, 8 Years After He Sailed on the Inaugural Voyage

Majestic's Glen Etive By Robin McKelvie When The Majestic Line launched their first purpose-built vessel, the MV Glen Etive, in 2016 she set a new standard for the growing flotilla of Scottish small ships that sleep a maximum of a dozen passengers. I was privileged to...

New Owners for The Majestic Line — Scotsman Robin McKelvie Takes a Look at the Direction of Scotland’s Largest Small-Ship Cruise Operator

New Owners for The Majestic Line By Robin McKelvie It’s hard to overemphasize the role that The Majestic Line have played in the massive success and growth of small ship cruising in Scotland. Over the last two decades they have proved all the doubters — who couldn’t...

Inside Windstar Cruises’ New Star Seeker — Anne Kalosh Shares Some Details of Windstar’s Upcoming New Ship

Inside Windstar Cruises' New Star Seeker By Anne Kalosh Bookings are open for Windstar Cruises' new ship, the 224-passenger Star Seeker that will debut in late 2025. It's going to first sail in the Caribbean, then will operate Windstar's popular Alaska and Japan...

14 Europe River Cruise Packing Tips — Heidi Shares Her Expert Advice Based on More Than 125 Cruises

Europe River Cruise Packing Tips By Heidi Sarna I've taken more than 125 cruises all over the world. Many on river boats and canal barges in Europe. I got to tell you, in large part, I know what to pack based on how many times I didn't bring the right stuff — good ole...

4 Small Sailing Ship Cruises in the Caribbean to Consider — Our Experts Weigh in on Sea Cloud, Star Clippers, Windstar & Island Windjammers

Small Sailing Ship Cruises in the Caribbean By Judi Cuervo & Heidi Sarna It was probably about 40 years ago when I saw my very first sailing ship. I was leaning lazily against the rail of the cruise ship I was sailing in the Caribbean, probably a Carnival or Home...

Sea Cloud Cruise: Expert Review (2024) — Writer Peter Knego Reunites With A Floating Legend

Sea Cloud Cruise Review By Peter Knego Every now and then, a dream comes true twice. For me, that was another chance to sail in the legendary Sea Cloud after a blissful eight-night cruise along the Spanish Riviera in 2019. This time around, we joined the sail assisted...

Colombia’s Magdalena River — AMA Waterways Newest River Cruise Region … Inaugural Delayed Until March 15, 2025

Colombia’s Magdalena River By Ted Scull Updated Sept 2024 — The inaugural sailing of AmaWaterways’ AmaMagdalena on Colombia’s Magdalena River has been delayed again and moved to March 15, 2025. AMA Waterways takes a bold new leap into river cruising along one that...

Quirky Cruise Contributors

Heidi & Ted and their team of curious travel writers explore the far corners of the world to share their experiences & insights about small-ship cruising.

Heidi M. Sarna

So far, I’ve explored 78 countries around the world by boat, road, plane, foot, bicycle and camel. My first big journey was a six-month trip around the world back in the days when…

Theodore W. Scull

I am happiest near water, over water or better still on a conveyance moving through water. When my brother Sandy and I were deemed old enough, mother took us to Europe by ship.

Peter Knego

John Roberts

Judi Cohen

Robin McKelvie

Ben Lyons

Dana Freeman

Gene Sloan

Randy Mink

Judi Cuervo

Lynn and Cele Seldon

Elysa Leonard

Subscribe

Sign up for our monthly newsletter to get insider reviews, tips & deals on unusual & small-ship cruises.
Name*
First Last
Email*
Countries*
* I would like to subscribe to the QuirkyCruise newsletters. QuirkyCruise.com will not sell your email. See PRIVACY POLICY
CAPTCHA