Second Viking Cruise vessel incident in as many weeks

The 2004-built 14,300-dwt chemical tanker Chemical Marketer is reported to have collided with Viking Cruise riverboat Viking Idun.

The incident took place in the Westerschelde in Terneuzen in the Netherlands at 01:00 hours on the morning of 1 April 2019.

There is no reported cargo leakage, although Chemical Marketer is holed above the waterline.

The stainless-steel tanked Chemical Marketer was on a voyage from Turkey to Antwerp with a cargo of petroleum.

Chemical Marketer is operated by Chemship BV, while Viking Idun is operated by Viking Cruises, which on 23 March 2019 suffered a blackout on its ocean cruise ship Viking Sky.

Viking Cruises issued a statement “Viking Idun was sailing from Antwerp to Ghent. No guests were injured. The ship sustained some damage near the bow and is currently docked in Terneuzen with all guests. While damage of the ship is being assessed, guests will continue with a modified version of the itinerary. We hope to have the ship in operation in time for its next departure on 4 April. If that is not be possible, future guests will be accommodated on another Viking longship. Viking’s customer relations team will communicate directly with the guests or their travel agents.”

Although the Viking Cruises press statement reports there were no guests injured, eyewitnesses state there were ambulances waiting for passengers when Viking Idun docked.

The Chemical Marketer/Viking Idun incident is the second major tanker-related incident in two weeks.

On 24 March 2019 the Shipping Corporation of India LNG carrier Aseem collided with the 2001-built Navios Midstream Acquisition Corp VLCC tanker Shinyo Ocean.

Shinyo Ocean was in ballast at the time of the incident and received an LNG carrier-shaped incursion to the bow.

• Low lube oil caused Viking Sky shutdown says NMA
• Navios merges VLCC fleet
• A view from the bridge on board SCI’s Aseem