Dutch officials are currently investigating an explosion onboard a Viking River Cruises ship docked in Amsterdam as a likely malfunction of the boat’s battery power system.
The newly launched ship Viking Gymir, which was introduced on the Rhine River in 2022, features a brand new hybrid propulsion system developed in place of solely diesel propulsion on other Viking Longships.
Reports from the Amsterdam fire brigade said they were summoned to the ship on Monday, July 25, at ~6:30 pm after reports of an explosion in the ship's engine room followed by a small fire. Pictures posted on social media showed the fire teams venting the vessel.
Testing is ongoing to determine what if any substances/toxins might have been released.
The riverboat was preparing to depart Amsterdam (Netherlands) when the explosion occurred.
Reports indicated that were ~200 passengers onboard. At the time of the accident, however, passengers had gathered in the ship's lounge for a briefing from the staff. They were evacuated to the cruise pier with no reports of injuries. 9 crew however were treated for smoke inhalation by the medical personnel.
Passengers reported that Viking Cruises had moved them to an alternate vessel for dinner. Later they had been taken to a nearby hotel. Fire crews remained at the cruise ship venting it as well as testing the air quality before the crew members were permitted to reboard.
The company now reports that the vessel is operational but it is still unclear when it would restart sailing.