Terhentiary Shipping As A Result Of Lack Of Water Altitude, This Cruise Ship Can't Complete Its Travel

Illustration of Viking River Cruises. (Wikimedia Commons/Artmüller setelah)

JAKARTA - A Viking River Cruises cruise ship moving north of the Mississippi River, United States was unable to complete its voyage due to its low water level, according to a statement from the company on Thursday.

"The very low water level along the Mississippi River has caused some rivers to close, impacting all shipping traffic to the north and south," the statement said.

"That has led to a delay that will prevent Viking Mississippi from completing the ongoing cruise and reaching St. Paul (Minnesota) for the next scheduled departure on October 15", the statement continued.

Shipping past under the bridge in Greenville, Mississippi, which crossed to Arkansas on Thursday. Some time later, passengers were told that the cruise was canceled, Trovato said.

The ship docked in the northern area of Greenville, about 150 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. Passengers disembarked in groups on Friday and was then placed on a two-hour bus trip to Memphis to catch a flight home, he said.

The shipping company said guests had been notified of the matter, although they did not provide details on how many passengers were affected.

Viking Mississippi can host up to 386 guests and be built in 2022, according to the company's website.

It is known, the Viking advertised a 15-day trip in October from St. Paul to New Orleans starting at $12,999. This is not the first time a Viking ship has had a low-water problem on this voyage.

The Mississippi River is trapped in an increasing drought. Viking Mississippi is not the only ship facing problems in the United States' main river.

Amid drought, low water levels along Mississippi have forced several barges to run aground over the past week, the US Coast Guard said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the National Maritime Affairs and Atmospheric Administration manages drought information websites. The latest report says nearly 53 percent of the lower US states experience drought. Most of the Western region experiences drought.

Unnormal drought "continues to develop and increase from the Plain through the Mississippi watershed, and has now spread further into the Midlands and Southeast. The low water level has an impact on barge traffic in the Mississippi River during harvests, an important time," the NOAA website said.