Aqua Expeditions’ Aqua Amazon River Boat Sinks After Explosion

Aqua Amazon was one of three boats in the Aqua Expeditions fleet.

Aqua Expeditions said its 24-passenger Aqua Amazon, which sails the Amazon in Peru, suffered a serious accident and sank on Saturday, July 16.  

No passengers were onboard when the incident occurred, but at press time four of the boat’s 17 crew members were reported missing and others were hurt during an explosion that occurred during the supply and turnaround of the boat.  

Francesco Galli Zugaro, Aqua’s founder and CEO, was reportedly flying to Peru from London to assess the damage and help the crew. Aqua said the investigation is ongoing and more information will be shared as it becomes available. The company added that its entire operations team is on the ground providing logistical support with local emergency services. 

“These are difficult times for us and we are grateful for the show of support we have received to date,” Aqua said. “Our principal focus now is on our staff and their families. We would like to assure all our partners that Aqua Expeditions’ dedication to safety is steadfast and that our other cruisers are operating normally.” 

Passengers scheduled to depart Saturday on Aqua Amazon have been reassigned to the Aria Amazon and other river cruise boats on the Amazon. Aqua’s Lima and Singapore offices were open Sunday to respond to customers with future bookings on the Aqua Amazon. Aqua Expeditions has two other luxury river boats, Aria Amazon in Peru and Aqua Mekong on the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia.  

Peruvian newspaper El Comercio reported that the explosion on Aqua Amazon occurred during a refueling operation due to a short circuit. It caused two explosions and a fire, injuring 13 crew members. El Comercio said the incident occurred in the port of Enapu, along the Itaya River, Punchana district in Iquitos (Loreto). The explosion reportedly blew a hole in the ship, which partially sank.