Drifting Norway cruise ship evacuated after engine failure

Around 1,300 people are being evacuated from a cruise ship caught in stormy weather off the west coast of Norway, police said.

The Viking Sky has suffered engine failure and all those aboard are being taken to shore, according to police in the county of More og Romsdal.

Norway’s sea rescue agency said the cruise ship sent out a mayday signal after it began drifting towards the shore on Saturday afternoon.

Wind was blowing at a speed of 38 knots with waves up to eight metres high, police told Norwegian newspaper VG.

But the crew were later able to restart one engine and the ship was anchored about 2km from the shore.

The ship belongs to the Viking Ocean Cruises, part of the Viking cruises group founded by Norwegian billionaire Torstein Hagen.

The Viking Ocean Cruises website says the ship has capacity for 930 guests on board.

Several vessels and four helicopters are involved in the rescue and facilities to receive passengers have been set up on land, the rescue service said.

Passengers were hoisted from the deck of the vessel and airlifted to a village just north of the town of Molde on Norway’s west coast.

Only 87 people had been evacuated by 1750 GMT, and the airlift was set to continue throughout the night, rescue service spokeswoman Borghild Eldoen said.

Eight of those evacuated had suffered light injuries.

Rescue service spokesman Einar Knudsen told Reuters: “If we need to evacuate everyone, it will take a long time.”

Video and photos from people on the ship showed it heaving, with chairs and other furniture dangerously rolling from side to side.

Passengers were suited up in orange life vests but the waves broke some ship windows and cold water flowed over the feet of some passengers.

Cruise 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. The trip on the helicopter, I would rather forget. It was not fun,” American passenger John Curry told public broadcaster NRK.

The storm is expected to last at least until midnight local time, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

The stretch of water where the ship suffered engine failure, known as Hustadvika, is well known for its bad weather and winter storms.

The Norwegian government has even drawn up plans to build an ocean tunnel through a nearby mountain to improve safety.

Later, authorities said, a second ship – a freighter with a crew of nine – also suffered an engine seizure and rescue helicopters were diverted to help.

The Foreign Office has previously warned travellers about the perils of Arctic travel.

It said: “The most popular way of visiting the Arctic is by ship. As some areas of the Arctic – specifically the more northerly and remote regions – can be uncharted and ice-covered, you should check the previous operational experience of cruise and other operators offering travel in the region.

“You should also consider the on-board medical facilities of cruise ships and talk to cruise operators as appropriate, particularly if you have a pre-existing medical condition.”

Additional reporting by Reuters