The growing popularity of river cruises in the Netherlands requires extra attention to safety. This is the view of the Dutch Safety Board in the report published today following the collision between the river cruise ship Viking Idun and a chemical tanker in the night of April 1, 2019 on the Western Scheldt. The often limited self-reliance of passengers on board river cruise ships, combined with the growing popularity of river cruises, has prompted several recommendations to improve safety in the river cruise industry. In addition, the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management is recommended to improve the supervision of river cruise shipping.

Just after midnight on 1 April 2019, a collision took place on the Western Scheldt between the Swiss river cruise vessel Viking Idun and a Maltese chemical tanker. The damage to both ships was considerable. On board the cruise ship 137 mostly elderly passengers and 43 crew members were present. In the collision, most of the passengers were sleeping in the closed cabins and some of them were slightly injured by the impact. The chemical tanker was loaded with benzene, heptane and methanol, among other things. The blow left a large hole in the tanker's hull. The storage of the chemicals in double-walled tanks has prevented a leakage of highly toxic substances.

Crew competence not tested
The river cruise ship Viking Idun complied with the legal requirements for river cruise ships. The crew also had the necessary certificates, on the basis of which she was allowed to sail in the Netherlands. However, the Dutch Safety Board finds that these statutory requirements are not always sufficient. The crew of the Viking Idun had insufficient knowledge of the complex Western Scheldt sailing area. They also had insufficient command of the English language, as a result of which communication via the VHF was not properly understood or understood. In addition, for the voyage across the Western Scheldt, the captain has not chosen to have crew members with the most knowledge of the sailing area present in the wheelhouse. It was also decided not to call in the help of a pilot. The Dutch Safety Board concludes that the crew members were authorized, but not sufficiently competent.

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Complex sailing area
The Western Scheldt is one of the busiest waters in the world where inland shipping, ocean shipping and pleasure craft meet day and night. The intensive use in combination with narrow channels, shallows, a strong current and the tide makes it a waterway with risks. The Dutch Safety Board concludes that, despite the complexity of the area, there are no additional requirements regarding the knowledge and competence of the crews of inland vessels. This is the case in comparable areas such as the Rhine.

Supervision of river cruise traffic
The investigation by the Board shows that this collision does not stand alone. The increasing popularity of river cruises calls for an improvement in safety in this sector. Every year, a large number of passengers are transported, who often have limited self-reliance. The Dutch Safety Board therefore makes recommendations to improve safety in the inland shipping sector and specifically the river cruise sector in the Netherlands. The Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management is also recommended to improve the effectiveness of the supervision of river cruise ships and to tighten the competence requirements for the crew of river cruise ships in the Scheldt area.

Photo above: Website Dutch Safety Board.

Also read: Dutch Safety Board presents a report on intersecting aircraft

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