Near-record low water on the Danube has stranded or delayed international river cruise vessels in Hungary, disrupted services north of Budapest and cut MAHART-PassNave’s July bookings by 18%, according to MAHART-PassNave.
The river at Budapest fell on July 16 to within 8 cm of the record low set eight years ago, although water levels are expected to begin rising next week.
“Several ships are stranded or waiting in ports because of the low water levels,” MAHART-PassNave chief executive László Somodi said.
Cruise vessels can still enter Hungary, but the northern ports of Gönyű and Komárom are handling the heaviest traffic. Several ships are also idle in Budapest and the southern Hungarian city of Mohács because they cannot continue their voyages.
International river cruises carry about 600,000 passengers a year in Hungary and have become the country’s most economically important shipping segment, Somodi said.
MAHART-PassNave’s Budapest–Szentendre and Budapest–Visegrád services will not operate between July 13 and July 19. Its daytime Budapest hop-on service is also skipping the Margitsziget Sportuszoda stop.
Avalon Waterways has cancelled a small number of upcoming departures on the Danube and Rhine because of low water levels. Passengers from some vessels waiting near the Danube Bend have been transferred to Budapest by bus.
The affected services could resume next week if water levels rise as forecast.
MAHART-PassNave is a Hungarian passenger shipping company established on January 1, 1994.