AmaWaterways River Cruise Ship Stuck in Lock

[HostDave]

(11 a.m. EDT, August 6) -- An AmaWaterways ship has become stuck in a lock on the Rhone River between Avignon and Touron and will have to be winched out by crane tomorrow.

AmaDagio got stuck with a cargo vessel in the lock early this morning, and a crane has been ordered to try and winch the ship out. All passengers have been disembarked and put up in local hotels, a senior Ama source has confirmed.

“The lock between Avignon and Tournon has been struck and 2 vessels are stuck inside. One is a cargo vessel and the other is an AMA boat.

“A part to fix the hydraulics is coming from Marseille. We have been stationery since lunch time yesterday when we arrived at the lock to head north. We relocated to Cruas and are currently sitting it out.”

The situation was subsequently confirmed by a senior company source ahead of the Christening ceremony for AmaPrima. He confirmed that AmaDagio is still stuck in the lock and all passengers have been disembarked and are being put up in hotels.

A statement was released by Ama yesterday which read: "All guests aboard the AmaDagio disembarked safely and are currently staying at a nearby hotel. Our Operations teams in the U.S. and Europe are on top of the situation and will provide additional updates." AmaDagio is on a 21-day Jewels of France tour which starts in Barcelona and ends in Paris.

Separately, a lock workers strike has been called in Bremen, which will last until Friday.

A statement from the German National Tourist Office: “This week the lock-keepers are on strike in Bremen, North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. The strike will last probably until Friday. In some locks there is an emergency service from 8 o'clock to 4 o'clock.”