Swiss‑flagged cruise ship Viking Ullur grounds on Danube, passengers evacuated

Viking Ullur Danube grounding low water level passenger evacuation drought

On 28 July 2026 at about 02:20 a.m., the Swiss‑flagged cruise ship Viking Ullur ran aground on the Danube River near Vidin, Bulgaria, at river kilometre 817, roughly 25 km upstream of the city. The vessel was carrying 186 passengers and 52 crew members (238 people total) en route to Vidin for refuelling and provisions.

The grounding was caused by critically low water levels caused by a prolonged drought across the Danube basin, with the river’s flow dropping to about 1,600 cubic metres per second – the lowest recorded since 1996. Border‑police units from Bulgaria (and Romania) launched an evacuation using a patrol boat, making around 20 trips and completing the transfer of all passengers by early evening. A technical vessel, Concordia, and a chartered replacement ship attempted but failed to free the stranded vessel.

Authorities expect the ship to remain grounded until the Danube’s water level rises again.

Entities: Bulgarian Border Police · Concordia (rescue vessel) · Concordia (technical vessel) · Danube River · River Monitoring Directorate Lom · Romanian Border Police · Switzerland · Switzerland · Vidin · Viking Ullur · Viking Ullur

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 10 SOURCES] River flow at the time was about 1,600 cubic metres per second, the lowest level since 1996, affecting navigation. (public reports)
[● 15 SOURCES] Bulgarian border police evacuated all passengers using a patrol boat, completing about 20 trips and finishing by 18:30. (belongs)
[● 10 SOURCES] The cruise ship Viking Ullur ran aground on the Danube near Vidin due to low water level. (public reports)
[● 15 SOURCES] The ship was sailing under the Swiss flag. (Swiss flag)
[● 4 SOURCES] The ship was scheduled to load provisions at Vidin port before the incident. (All articles)
[● 10 SOURCES] The vessel had 52 crew members on board. (public reports)
[● 14 SOURCES] The vessel had 186 passengers and 52 crew members on board. (1)
[● 10 SOURCES] Bulgarian border police evacuated the passengers using a patrol boat, completing about 20 trips. (Evacuation operation)
[● 3 SOURCES] Bulgarian border police began evacuating the passengers using a patrol boat, aiming to finish before nightfall.
[● 15 SOURCES] The cruise ship Viking Ullur ran aground on the Danube River near Vidin on 28 July 2026 at about 02:20. (Viking Ullur, Danube grounding, 28 July 2026, 02:20)
[● 8 SOURCES] The vessel was heading to Vidin to refuel and had begun to experience a shortage of drinking water. (1)
[● 10 SOURCES] The grounding occurred at approximately 02:20 a.m. on 28 July 2026. (public reports)