Viking Sky survivors

[OnTheJourney]

Just wonder if we'll be able to stay onboard overnight prior to the start of the Iberian?  Probably not, but at least it'd be great if most of the luggage could stay onboard - assuming, of course, that we have the same cabin. I booked the same room number that we had on the Sky, but then there's no guarantee that this is how they will handle the Rome-to-Barcelona sailing. There has been speculation here that this is how they'll do it - there is a certain amount of logic in it. If not, then it could necessitate changing rooms between sailings. 

[TexasTraveler54]

Ha🤣 - on the helicopter excursion!!  Thinking about doing the Iberian Explorer also, but waiting for details on the inaugural cruise.  

[OnTheJourney]

Yep....anxiously awaiting at this point - especially to see if it winds up essentially being their "Iconic Western Mediterranean" itinerary. 

[JDincalif]

The Accident Investigation Board Norway has issued an interim report of the ongoing Viking Sky incident investigation. A summary and download link are available here.

Edited November 13, 2019 by JDincalif

[Portolan]

Wow!  Main issue seems to have been not maintaining the manufacturer's recommended oil levels in the diesel generators.  Hard to imagine why they weren't following the manufacturer's guidelines.  Most people do so with their cars.

 

We'll be on the Star for the same itinerary in January.  It says that Viking is addressing the oil level issues as well as other, secondary events/procedures.  Hope so!

[JDincalif]

It also appears that one of the large diesel generators became inoperable on 16 March, so that at the time of the incident on 23 March only three of the four generators were functional.

Edited November 13, 2019 by JDincalif

[OnTheJourney]

JD.....MOST interesting. So, if I interpret all this correctly, we sailed a full week with the crew being aware of the loss of power in one DG....plus knowing at some point that we'd be encountering severe weather conditions. Assumedly the plan was to get it fixed well before that time. All this would seem to play a rather important role in the investigation relative to the decisions that were made during the timeframe between 3/16 and 3/23. Thanks so much for presenting this update. 

[DGHOC]

On 11/13/2019 at 3:45 PM, JDincalif said:

It also appears that one of the large diesel generators became inoperable on 16 March, so that at the time of the incident on 23 March only three of the four generators were functional.

 

Thanks for posting JD.

 

Whilst we'd all previously been informed about the oil levels we didn't know about the generator being out of service from the 16th. I'd be interested to know whether it's possible to assess whether this impacted upon the overall failure during the storm. Have to say eye brows raised in this household reading this today. Neither of us are engineers though so can't make an informed judgement on this.

 

Hope you're both well. Have you taken your complementary cruise yet? We're off to the Baltic in May, on the Sky with the same cabin!

[kittycrews]

We both have raised eyebrows as well. Our free cruise is next December Athens to Rome. It will be interesting to follow that with the Venus in January 2021 and to catch all the scuttlebutt from our cruisers. Does anyone know if the captain is still a Viking employee?

[JDincalif]

16 minutes ago, DGHOC said:

Hope you're both well. Have you taken your complementary cruise yet? We're off to the Baltic in May, on the Sky with the same cabin!

Always a pleasure to 'hear' from you, DGHOC! Hope that your Baltic cruise is a complete delight with smooth sailing all the way. Our complimentary cruise will be in spring 2021 - a combined ocean-river itinerary from Bergen to Budapest. We're looking forward to our return to Viking and especially to catching up with our fellow 'survivors' on the Venus.

Edited November 14, 2019 by JDincalif

[JDincalif]

28 minutes ago, kittycrews said:

Does anyone know if the captain is still a Viking employee?

We've done the occasional news search, but have found nothing posted about the captain since early April or so. Hope that someone else may have current information.

Edited November 14, 2019 by JDincalif

[DGHOC]

13 minutes ago, JDincalif said:

Always a pleasure to 'hear' from you, DGHOC! Hope that your Baltic cruise is a complete delight with smooth sailing all the way. Our complimentary cruise will be in spring 2021 - a combined ocean-river itinerary from Bergen to Budapest. We're looking forward to our return to Viking and especially to catching up with our fellow 'survivors' on the Venus.

 

What a brilliant idea combining an ocean and a river cruise JD, wish we'd thought of that!

 

We plan to get back to Norway to see what we missed last time, so certainly plan to 'try' again. We have a balance left from our gifted cruise so need to decide what is next!

 

We greatly look forwards to our reunion too!

[Haworth]

51 minutes ago, kittycrews said:

We both have raised eyebrows as well. Our free cruise is next December Athens to Rome. It will be interesting to follow that with the Venus in January 2021 and to catch all the scuttlebutt from our cruisers. Does anyone know if the captain is still a Viking employee?

Until I read the report I would have defended both the Captain and Chief Engineer with my last breath, so to speak, now that faith and confidence looks a "little" misplaced.

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, DGHOC said:

 

Thanks for posting JD.

 

Whilst we'd all previously been informed about the oil levels we didn't know about the generator being out of service from the 16th. I'd be interested to know whether it's possible to assess whether this impacted upon the overall failure during the storm. Have to say eye brows raised in this household reading this today. Neither of us are engineers though so can't make an informed judgement on this.

 

Hope you're both well. Have you taken your complementary cruise yet? We're off to the Baltic in May, on the Sky with the same cabin!

The Chief can provide a more detailed engineering response, but I can provide some basic information.

 

DG # 3 - Without knowing the lub oil level in the sump tank, it is impossible to make an accurate determination if the fact this engine was off-line, negatively impacted the incident. Based on the Initial Report, it appears all DG Lub Oil levels were low. Therefore, my assumption is that DG 3 probably had similar low levels and would most likely have shut down. It is highly unlikely that the reduction in horsepower contributed to the incident, as in heavy weather ships generally do not proceed at full speed.

 

Cruise ships have multiple engines to accommodate their varied speed requirements and maintenance. With 2 larger & 2 smaller DG's, it provides additional options to tailor power generation to meet the combined propulsion & hotel load. The DG's are most efficient when operating at their optimum output. Multiple engines at reduced power are less efficient and emit more pollutants than less engines at optimal power. Therefore, for most voyages only 2 or 3 engines will be operational to meet the power requirements.

 

On my ships, we were in maintenance for about 1 month every year, so our scheduled engine re-builds were completed at that time. We also required almost full speed for all voyages. Cruise ships dry-dock every 5-years for shorter periods, so do not have time for full scheduled engine overhaul & re-builds. Therefore, this work is completed while operational, with an engine off-line for scheduled maintenance.

 

The investigation will review this area, as in Section 7 one of the areas listed for further investigation is "Safe Return to Port"

 

Hope this helps.

[OnTheJourney]

1 hour ago, Haworth said:

Until I read the report I would have defended both the Captain and Chief Engineer with my last breath, so to speak, now that faith and confidence looks a "little" misplaced.

 

With respects to Heidi's technical observations - given that his knowledge and experience are far beyond us as mere passengers - I hesitate to pass judgement relative to the DG3 situation; however, (and probably admittedly too much based on emotion) I think I'll be willing to err on the side of being increasingly skeptical as well. An unknown factor, at least to most of us, is whether or not the Sky (or other ships for that matter) are deemed safe to sail in most conditions without one of its 6720 kW engines. Same for the oil situation. Reported levels were 28-40%, compared to the recommended 68-75%. All factors put together, it sure doesn't "feel" - at least subjectively speaking - as if the best possible precautions were observed with respects to maintaining optimal safety of the passengers and ship in consideration of the itinerary and being near Hustadvika. That being said, I do hate to be an "arm chair captain" since most of us don't know enough to arrive at conclusions. However,  I do think I'm also leaning towards the thoughts expressed by Haworth. One thing that appears uncertain still is: at what point was the the MAN technician onboard? The report refers to a plan to "dismantle the damaged turbocharger in preparation for a replacement to be fitted at the next port".  So, if the guy was on the ship early on, when was this going to be done?  At which port? Just seems weird that a whole week went by and it still wasn't operative. OR did he only board closer to the 23rd? If such is the case, then of course there was no scheduled port prior to the incident once Bodo was taken out of the itinerary. Unless I'm missing something, that particular aspect of the report doesn't really convey when the MAN technician might have boarded. I've always wondered, though, why the Sky could not have sought safe harbor instead of sailing on the 23rd, and I know Heidi and a few others addressed this as well. Now, however, I have to wonder again. Might it have been prudent to alter the itinerary to come into a port where DG3 could have been replaced as apparently was the intention? 

 

Now...on the lighter side...we're leaning towards our compensation cruise as being the "Cities of Antiquity and the Holy Land' - probably looking at fall 2021 though not certain. Will add  pre and post extensions. Sure is fun looking at and contemplating the various options!!

Edited November 14, 2019 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

2 hours ago, DGHOC said:

 

What a brilliant idea combining an ocean and a river cruise JD, wish we'd thought of that!

 

We plan to get back to Norway to see what we missed last time, so certainly plan to 'try' again. We have a balance left from our gifted cruise so need to decide what is next!

 

We greatly look forwards to our reunion too!

 

There are only a few itineraries offered that combine river / ocean. It is indeed a great idea and one that they probably should consider expanding on. 

 

JD...we also looked at that one...but for us there would have been a lot of duplication from a previous Amsterdam to Budapest river trip that we did 2 years ago. I'm sure you'll really enjoy that trip!! 

Edited November 14, 2019 by OnTheJourney

[Haworth]

2 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

 

With respects to Heidi's technical observations - given that his knowledge and experience are far beyond us as mere passengers - I hesitate to pass judgement relative to the DG3 situation; however, (and probably admittedly too much based on emotion) I think I'll be willing to err on the side of being increasingly skeptical as well. An unknown factor, at least to most of us, is whether or not the Sky (or other ships for that matter) are deemed safe to sail in most conditions without one of its 6720 kW engines. Same for the oil situation. Reported levels were 28-40%, compared to the recommended 68-75%. All factors put together, it sure doesn't "feel" - at least subjectively speaking - as if the best possible precautions were observed with respects to maintaining optimal safety of the passengers and ship in consideration of the itinerary and being near Hustadvika. That being said, I do hate to be an "arm chair captain" since most of us don't know enough to arrive at conclusions. However,  I do think I'm also leaning towards the thoughts expressed by Haworth. One thing that appears uncertain still is: at what point was the the MAN technician onboard? The report refers to a plan to "dismantle the damaged turbocharger in preparation for a replacement to be fitted at the next port".  So, if the guy was on the ship early on, when was this going to be done?  At which port? Just seems weird that a whole week went by and it still wasn't operative. OR did he only board closer to the 23rd? If such is the case, then of course there was no scheduled port prior to the incident once Bodo was taken out of the itinerary. Unless I'm missing something, that particular aspect of the report doesn't really convey when the MAN technician might have boarded. I've always wondered, though, why the Sky could not have sought safe harbor instead of sailing on the 23rd, and I know Heidi and a few others addressed this as well. Now, however, I have to wonder again. Might it have been prudent to alter the itinerary to come into a port where DG3 could have been replaced as apparently was the intention? 

 

Now...on the lighter side...we're leaning towards our compensation cruise as being the "Cities of Antiquity and the Holy Land' - probably looking at fall 2021 though not certain. Will add  pre and post extensions. Sure is fun looking at and contemplating the various options!!

We did that cruise a couple of years ago, one of the best ever, really enjoyed it

[kaumond]

4 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

The Chief can provide a more detailed engineering response, but I can provide some basic information.

 

DG # 3 - Without knowing the lub oil level in the sump tank, it is impossible to make an accurate determination if the fact this engine was off-line, negatively impacted the incident. Based on the Initial Report, it appears all DG Lub Oil levels were low. Therefore, my assumption is that DG 3 probably had similar low levels and would most likely have shut down. It is highly unlikely that the reduction in horsepower contributed to the incident, as in heavy weather ships generally do not proceed at full speed.

 

Cruise ships have multiple engines to accommodate their varied speed requirements and maintenance. With 2 larger & 2 smaller DG's, it provides additional options to tailor power generation to meet the combined propulsion & hotel load. The DG's are most efficient when operating at their optimum output. Multiple engines at reduced power are less efficient and emit more pollutants than less engines at optimal power. Therefore, for most voyages only 2 or 3 engines will be operational to meet the power requirements.

 

On my ships, we were in maintenance for about 1 month every year, so our scheduled engine re-builds were completed at that time. We also required almost full speed for all voyages. Cruise ships dry-dock every 5-years for shorter periods, so do not have time for full scheduled engine overhaul & re-builds. Therefore, this work is completed while operational, with an engine off-line for scheduled maintenance.

 

The investigation will review this area, as in Section 7 one of the areas listed for further investigation is "Safe Return to Port"

 

Hope this helps.

I’m wondering if they took the oil from the already down engine to get one operational engine running again.  Or maybe it doesn’t work that way!  Also, interesting that the alarms sounded so many times that morning - but guess there was nothing to be done given that there likely was no additional oil on board.  Chilling read in any case...

[OnTheJourney]

Haworth...WOW!  So great to hear that it's apparently a wonderful cruise. The Viking agent I've been dealing with said the same from his own personal experience with it. Now I'm really encouraged to go for that one. Have always wanted to explore the Holy Land but have been hesitant due to the political unrest, etc. Nowadays, of course, it almost doesn't matter where you go - so sad with all the random shootings anymore. Back in the day, we didn't even lock our doors at night - no need. 

 

I might ask....did you do the 4-day Greece extension?  Another option we're considering is the 2-day "Overland" excursion that they offer (rejoins the ship while still in Haifa) - looks most interesting. 

Edited November 15, 2019 by OnTheJourney

[kaumond]

7 hours ago, Haworth said:

We did that cruise a couple of years ago, one of the best ever, really enjoyed it

We are scheduled to do that one in February 2021.  We are going to tour Spain and make our way back to Rome after the Venus Cruise.  

[OnTheJourney]

30 minutes ago, kaumond said:

We are scheduled to do that one in February 2021.  We are going to tour Spain and make our way back to Rome after the Venus Cruise.  

 

Sounds good! We're making our way to London (since we never got there last time!) on the Iberian cruise.

[Heidi13]

15 hours ago, kaumond said:

I’m wondering if they took the oil from the already down engine to get one operational engine running again.  Or maybe it doesn’t work that way!  Also, interesting that the alarms sounded so many times that morning - but guess there was nothing to be done given that there likely was no additional oil on board.  Chilling read in any case...

The 10.8 m3 of lub oil pumped into the individual DG sump tanks will have come from a Lub Oil storage tank. I just can't imagine that Lub Oil Storage tanks were empty, but all should be revealed in the Final Report.

 

While 18 alarms were raised between 05:00 & 09:04, the report states upon acknowledging the alarm, they cleared within seconds. Accepting an alarm is a key-stroke or mouse click that silences the alarm. The report states the alarms cleared within a few seconds, which means the sensors ceased identifying a low level. This would tend to indicate a sensor or system problem, however it was happening on all 3 DG's.

 

Since this it is only an Interim Report, it doesn't state why no alarms were received between 09:04 and 13:37, when critical low lub pressure alarms activated auto shut down.

[OnTheJourney]

Off topic for a bit.....has anyone gotten any further updates or info on the 1/18/21 Barcelona-to-Rome sailing? I suspect not but just checking. 

Edited November 15, 2019 by OnTheJourney

[kittycrews]

19 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

Off topic for a bit.....has anyone gotten any further updates or info on the 1/18/21 Barcelona-to-Rome sailing? I suspect not but just checking. 

No further updates.

[Haworth]

46 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

Off topic for a bit.....has anyone gotten any further updates or info on the 1/18/21 Barcelona-to-Rome sailing? I suspect not but just checking. 

Nothing in the UK either