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Accidents

Viking Idun / Chemical Marketer collision (2019)

Shortly after midnight on 1 April 2019, the river cruise ship Viking Idun collided with the chemical tanker Chemical Marketer on the Western Scheldt near the Put van Terneuzen. A red-to-red passage had been agreed, but Viking Idun continued across the navigation channel instead of passing astern of the tanker. Passengers sustained minor injuries, both vessels were considerably damaged, and Chemical Marketer's double-walled tanks prevented a cargo spill.

Classification

  • Incident Type: Collision
  • Severity: High

Vessel Details

FieldValue
Vessel NameViking Idun
Other VesselChemical Marketer
Vessel TypePassenger vessel; Chemical Marketer: chemical tanker
Flag StateSwitzerland [CH] for Viking Idun
IMO NumberNot reported in reviewed source
Gross Tonnage3500
LOA (m)134.84
Breadth (m)11.45
Year Built2011
Owner/OperatorViking River Cruises AG, Switzerland
Persons on BoardViking Idun: 171 passengers and 49 crew; Chemical Marketer: 22 crew

Incident Details

FieldValue
Date2019-04-01
Time00:00:08 local time
LocationWestern Scheldt, near the Put van Terneuzen
RegionNetherlands
Coordinates51.343650, 3.847970
Fatalities0
Missing0

Key facts

  • Chemical Marketer carried cargo including benzene, heptane, and methanol.
  • Traffic control required a standard red-to-red passage, under which Viking Idun was to pass astern of Chemical Marketer.
  • Viking Idun did not alter to starboard after the passage arrangement was repeated.
  • Chemical Marketer's pilot made a late hard-starboard manoeuvre to avoid striking Viking Idun amidships.
  • Several passengers sustained minor injuries, and one hotel-service crew member was examined at hospital; the report gives no exact injury count.
  • Chemical Marketer suffered a hull tear longer than eight metres, but no cargo escaped.

Narrative

Viking Idun was approaching the locks at Terneuzen during a voyage from Antwerp to Ghent shortly after midnight on 1 April 2019. The Swiss river cruise ship carried 171 passengers and 49 crew members. Chemical Marketer, a chemical tanker with 22 crew, was proceeding in the opposite direction toward Antwerp with cargo that included benzene, heptane, and methanol.

At about 23:55 on 31 March, Chemical Marketer's pilot proposed a green-to-green passage. Terneuzen traffic control rejected that proposal and required the standard red-to-red passage, under which Viking Idun was to pass astern of the tanker. The pilot called Viking Idun for confirmation at about 23:58 but initially received no response. Traffic control repeated the instruction. Viking Idun's captain said he had not understood, requested repetition, and later acknowledged the message, but the cruise ship did not turn to starboard.

Chemical Marketer continued on its course as the vessels closed. At about 23:59:35, its pilot warned that the situation was dangerous and ordered hard starboard to avoid an amidships impact. Traffic control twice called Viking Idun to turn to starboard without further reaction. At 00:00:08, Viking Idun's bow struck Chemical Marketer's port side just aft of the forecastle.

Several Viking Idun passengers sustained minor injuries, and one hotel-service crew member was taken to hospital for examination. The report does not give a total injury count. Viking Idun sustained bow damage and was towed to Terneuzen. Chemical Marketer suffered a hull tear more than eight metres long, about one metre above the waterline, but its double-walled tanks prevented the release of cargo or other liquids.

The Dutch Safety Board concluded that Viking Idun's failure to maintain the prescribed route was the direct cause. It found that the bridge crew lacked sufficient local knowledge and nautical English, that the operator had not adequately checked competence for the voyage, and that supervisory safety barriers were ineffective.

Sequence of events

Date/timeEvent
2019-03-31 21:45Viking Idun grounded near buoy 66B in the Nauw van Bath and refloated about 25 minutes later.
2019-03-31 23:55Chemical Marketer's pilot proposed green-to-green; traffic control required red-to-red.
2019-03-31 23:58Traffic control repeated the passage instruction after Viking Idun did not initially respond.
2019-03-31 23:59:35Chemical Marketer's pilot ordered hard starboard as the vessels continued to close.
2019-04-01 00:00:08Viking Idun's bow struck Chemical Marketer's port side.

Contributing factors

FactorEvidence statusDescription
Failure to maintain the prescribed routeConfirmed findingViking Idun continued across the channel instead of turning to starboard for the agreed red-to-red passage.
Insufficient nautical EnglishConfirmed findingThe bridge crew did not adequately understand or act on the VHF exchanges in the compulsory working language.
Insufficient local knowledgeConfirmed findingThe captain had not sailed the Western Scheldt and the first mate's experience there was outdated.
Inadequate competence checksConfirmed findingViking River Cruises did not sufficiently verify the deployed bridge crew's competence for the passage.
Ineffective supervisionConfirmed findingPost-grounding checks and traffic-control interventions did not provide effective safeguards before the collision.

Investigation

The Dutch Safety Board investigated the collision and Viking Idun's earlier grounding. It identified failure to maintain the prescribed route as the direct cause and insufficient local knowledge and nautical English as underlying causes. The Board recommended stronger training and competence testing, tighter local-knowledge and language requirements for river cruise vessels in the Scheldt area, and more effective supervision. The official report does not state a numeric injury total or economic damage estimate.

References