Viking Sky Mayday

[hallasm]

Viking Sky has suffered engine failure in windy conditions in Hustadvika off the west coast of Norway and will evacuate its 1,300 passengers, Norwegian police said today.

Norwegian maritime rescue service said the Viking Sky was drifting towards land and had sent out a mayday signal.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2019/03/23/cruise-ship-adrift-off-norway-to-evacuate-1300-passengers/

 

Edited March 23, 2019 by Host Bonjour
Incorrect ship name reporting an emergency

[dogs4fun]

1 hour ago, hallasm said:

Viking Sun has suffered engine failure in windy conditions in Hustadvika off the west coast of Norway and will evacuate its 1,300 passengers, Norwegian police said today.

Norwegian maritime rescue service said the Viking Sky was drifting towards land and had sent out a mayday signal.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2019/03/23/cruise-ship-adrift-off-norway-to-evacuate-1300-passengers/

 

Wow - what a disappointment for those onboard. Hope everyone is OK.

[CruiserBruce]

Report on another board is they have at least one engine started, and are operating under their own power now.

[kaisatsu]

The weather today is extremely rough. Some of the video posted from on board is pretty extreme:

https://twitter.com/alexus309/status/1109537029912711168

[Host Bonjour]

4 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Report on another board is they have at least one engine started, and are operating under their own power now.

 

Evacuation continues, ship is anchored just off shore, From the passenger videos I have seen, without question there would have been damage and injuries in the time the ship was drifting in the turbulent seas. Furniture, small-ish trees, and....a grand piano, people, were among the various objects observed rolling, falling or flying across an observation lounge. The ship appeared to be listing to at least a 45 degree angle based on the horizon - it seemed the person filming was remarkably steady on their feet. 

 

Dark skies, the roughest seas. Looks like the evacuation is happening quickly and absolutely the right thing to do. Having a holiday/vacation end isn't great. Having an end end...never is. 

 

Well done Viking and Norway rescue.

[TLCOhio]

It's a crazy mess with that Viking Sky ship.  From the Associated Press/AP in the New York Post this morning, they had this headline: “Tugs tow Norway cruise ship after 463 rescued; 17 injured”  with these highlights: “More than 450 passengers were airlifted off a cruise ship that got stranded off Norway’s western coast in bad weather before the rescue operation was suspended Sunday so the vessel could be towed to a nearby port.  Five helicopters flying in the pitch darktook the evacuated passengers from the tossing ship in a painstaking process that continued throughout the night.”

 

Not sure doing a March cruise in this part of Norway would be that fun or enjoyable given the potential weather challenges.  Glad we had great weather when we were there up to the top of Europe on the Silver Cloud in July 2010.  See more details from my live/blog connected below. This AP story this morning also noted: "Photos posted on social media showed the ship listing from side to side, and furniture smashing violently into walls.  The airlifts continued at a steady pace Sunday morning, as the vessel was being prepared for towing by two tugboats to the nearby town of Molde."

 

Full story at:

https://nypost.com/2019/03/24/tugs-tow-norway-cruise-ship-after-463-rescued-17-injured/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Wonderful scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 234,333 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Edited March 24, 2019 by TLCOhio

[TLCOhio]

From the London/UK Times late this afternoon, they had this headline: “Britons winched to safety from stricken cruise ship in Norway” with a picture of the Viking Sky being docked in Molde, Norway.  

 

Here are some of their story highlights: “British passengers described the ordeal today of being winched up to helicopters from a stricken cruise ship in howling wind and heaving seas on a treacherous stretch of the Norwegian coast.  Derek Browne, from Hampshire, said the rescue had been frightening. 'I’d never been in a helicopter before. There were a lot of high winds, hovering overhead and the winchman came down and we were then collected up and so I shut my eyes as we arrived into the helicopter and there were 15 of us for about a 20-minute ride.'  Some 200 Britons were among 915 passengers and 458 crew aboard the two-year-old luxury ship. About 20 injured passengers were taken to hospital while others suffered minor injuries, mainly caused by loose furniture and fittings which careened across the decks as the vessel rolled violently in waves up to 25 feet high. There were many Americans and Australians among the passengers.”

 

Here is more on the history with these Viking ships:  "The cruise line, which was arranging for passengers’ homeward flights, has suffered other recent engine failures. The Viking Sea, one of six identical ships, suffered an engine problem in December of 2016 which kept her stuck in Barcelona. In 2016 she temporarily lost power in Malta. In August of 2015, the Viking Star lost power in an engine after leaving Tallinn and the cruise was cancelled."

 

Full story at:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/britons-winched-to-safety-from-stricken-cruise-ship-in-norway-rjg9mrjs8

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 44,629 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta. 

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

 

From the UK Times, here is their visual of ship being docked in Norway.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)