Alijo, Portugal, March 27, 2026 (Lusa) – Maritime authorities are inspecting a hotel ship carrying 95 people after the vessel reportedly suffered a hull breach while sailing the river Douro in northern Portugal, on Thursday.

The National Maritime Authority stated in a press release on Friday that the ship reportedly suffered a hull breach for unknown reasons while navigating the Douro near Foz do Tua.

The vessel reached the Pinhão pier in Alijó under its own power. All 95 passengers and non-maritime crew members disembarked safely, and no injuries were reported.

The Maritime Authority confirmed that a diving team identified and later sealed a hull breach after pumping water out of the vessel. The authority said that a new inspection is underway on Friday to ensure the hotel ship is safe to travel to the shipyard for repairs.

Members of the Maritime Police Forensic Diving and Underwater Operations Group (GMF-OPS) expect to collect evidence from the riverbed on Friday as part of the ongoing accident investigation.

Authorities notified the captain to submit a sea report regarding the incident.

The Douro Maritime Police Local Command, through the Régua station, responded to the alert at 12:15 a.m on Thursday. Firefighters from Pinhão, in the Alijó municipality of Vila Real, supported the operation.

PLI/RYOL // AYLS

Lusa