The consequences of last day’s storm were also clearly visible on Tuesday. From now on, the Danube is closed for all boat trips throughout Austria until further notice.
“Safety on the Danube is the top priority for passenger and cargo ships. The current situation does not allow shipping traffic. We can only give permission once the ships can safely dock and board and continue a safe passage,” says Martin Steingruber, Head of Shipping Supervision.
Swiss river cruise ship stranded
A partial closure of scheduled services for the whole of Austria was only introduced on Monday, after 102 passengers and 40 crew members on board the Swiss river cruise ship “Thurgau Prestige” had to remain in Vienna.
During the day, “an orderly departure would take place in cooperation with the Shipping Inspectorate” – the plan was that the ship would be able to dock at Handelskai. Now the entire Danube was closed.
Several ships were stranded
In addition to the stranded river cruise ship “Thurgau Prestige”, many other ships on the Danube were also affected, which were stranded in Vienna due to the circumstances. The Linzer Donau Touristik river cruise ship “MS Primadonna” was also “mid-journey” in Linz.
Shipping has also been halted at the Attersee in Upper Austria since Tuesday afternoon due to flooding. The district administration of Vöcklabruck has issued a shipping ban that is valid until Thursday 9:00. The only exceptions are fire brigade, police, Red Cross and water rescue vehicles. There are exceptions for commercial fishermen. Violating this can be costly: the fine ranges between 72 and 3,633 euros.
The water level is slowly dropping again
Although water levels tend to recede slowly, “a significant uncertainty remains the unpredictability of snowmelt as temperatures rise again,” the Department of Transportation said. So far, it’s unclear how long the large-scale closure will be lifted.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
