Updated
Hundreds of passengers have spent an uneasy night being tossed about on a cruise ship stranded off the coast of Norway, waiting for their turn to be rescued from the stricken vessel.
Key points:
- More than 300 people have been evacuated from the cruise ship
- Waves were 6-8 metres high during the storm and one elderly couple was reportedly severely injured
- Several vessels and four helicopters took part in the rescue
Norway’s maritime rescue service said the Viking Sky, which had about 1,300 passengers and crew on board, sent out a mayday signal as it drifted toward land on Saturday.
The rescue service said the crew were later able to restart one engine and the ship was at anchor about 2 kilometres off Norway’s west coast.
One by one, dozens of passengers were hoisted from the deck of the vessel by helicopter and flown to a village just north of the town of Molde.
But hundreds of others remained on board throughout the night.
Social media posts from passengers showed people attempting to catch some sleep where they could, many wearing life vests.
Difficult task for emergency crews
So far more than 300 people have been rescued from the ship, according to a report from Norwegian news service NRK.
Three of the ship’s four engines are now operational, with reports suggesting the ship will be guided into the Molde quay.
Ragnhild Vartdal, a reporter for Norway’s public broadcasting service, says tugboats and helicopters are being used to help rescue efforts.
“The plan now is that two tugboats are going to assist the ship in order for it to dock at the harbour,” Vartdal said.
“However helicopters are still working intensively trying to evacuate more people from the vessel amid high waves and strong winds.”
It’s believed the majority of the passengers were British and American tourists.
Norwegian TV said one 90-year-old-man and his 70-year-old wife on the ship were severely injured, but did not say how that happened.
Video and photos from people on the ship showed it heaving from side to side, with chairs and other furniture being thrown around.
Passengers were suited up in orange life vests as the waves broke some of the ship’s windows and cold water flowed over the floor.
‘Chaos’ as storm smashes windows
Passengers described the moment when the ship’s engines stopped, and the evacuation that followed.
“We were having lunch when it began to shake. Window panes were broken and water came in. It was just chaos,” American passenger John Curry said.
“The trip on the helicopter, I would rather forget. It was not fun.”
A second vessel, a freighter with a crew of nine, was also being evacuated nearby after suffering engine failure, diverting helicopters and thus delaying the cruise ship airlift, the rescue centre added.
Two purpose-built vessels operated by the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue had been forced to turn back due to the severe weather, the service said.
Waves were 6-8 metres high, with wind blowing at 24 metres per second, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.
The storm was expected to last at least until midnight local time.
The stretch of water known as Hustadvika and surrounding areas are known for fierce weather and shallow waters dotted with reefs, and Norway is evaluating whether to build a giant ocean tunnel through a nearby mountain to improve safety.
The Viking Sky, built in 2017, belongs to Viking Ocean Cruises, part of the Viking Cruises group founded by Norwegian billionaire Torstein Hagen.
The ship was visiting the Norwegian towns and cities of Narvik, Alta, Tromso, Bodo and Stavanger before its scheduled arrival on Tuesday in the British port of Tilbury on the River Thames.
ABC/wires
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