Viking Ship Adrift

[olafLover]

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[RedSox68]

I don't think they left half the passengers on board, I think half way through the evacuation they got the motors running and could solve the situation in a different way (sailing to port)

Yes, I read that -- that's what I meant by it felt safe enough to stop the evacuations.

 

[olafLover]

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[FrozenDisney]

That is such a scary situation! I couldn't imagine being on that ship or being evacuated by helicopter. I'm glad the ship made it safely to port, the videos I've seen are crazy. Is it normal for ships to sail in March that far north? Most cruises I've looked at for Europe don't start until May.

Like a previous poster said, ships go year around. And if some are going on Northern Lights cruises, you would have to go in winter, which is when we have storms coming in...

 

[FSU Girl]

Like a previous poster said, ships go year around. And if some are going on Northern Lights cruises, you would have to go in winter, which is when we have storms coming in...

Interesting I had no idea. I think if I ever want to see the northern lights I'll fly somewhere and do a land trip instead.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

A passenger on the Sky just posted this. Pretty impressive!

"As a passenger on the Viking Sky that was stranded in Norway, I want to say that the captain and crew on the Sky did an exceptional job keeping us informed, safe and comfortable during the crisis. Viking did an exceptional job of rebooking air to get us from the port in Moulde to home with minimal issues. While the whole ordeal was frightening, it was NOT as terrifyingly scary as the news media portrayed it to be. (Surprise, surprise, surprise—they do not have the big picture)

This was not at all like the Carnival Cruise ship stranded in the Caribbean, we could not muster outdoors due to cold, wind and rain and large waves and the ship was dangerously close to rocks (think Costa Condordia).

Prior to leaving the Sky in Moulde for the trip to the airport, we met with Torstein Hagen, founder and CEO of Viking. He stated that we would all receive a refund for the cruise and a Viking voucher for a free future Viking Cruise. This again is unlike how Carnival handled their Caribbean stranding where each guest was only given a $200 credit for another Carnival Cruise . ****as an addendum, my correction follows, Carnival comped the passengers on the stranded vessel for the cruise and reimbursed them $2000, per a individual who apparently was part of the affected cruise *****

Viking again comes though showing the reasons they are simply THE best when it comes to cruising. They could give lessons to the other cruise lines as well as a few US companies about correct, excellent customer service and caring for and about the people who travel with them.
GO VIKING !

I could add more accolades for Viking, the Captain and crew as well as the fine people of Moulde, Norway who came to the pier to give the ship and everyone a warm Norwegian welcome but I will stop here for now.

Will I cruise with Viking again? an unequivocal YES. Would I do this particular cruise again with Viking, again YES (especially since the Lights did not materialize as we had hoped)

My advice, if you do have a cruise booked with Viking in the future, please make your own decision if you decide to cancel; however,take it from me when I say that while the ordeal was dangerous and frightening, the Captain and crew were exceptional in how it was handled and how we as guests were treated.

One final item of a very positive nature, Viking CHARTERED a flight from Moulde to Oslo to get us there in time for a 0600 hour flight to Frankfurt. Still more reason to trust Viking and the way that they handled this potentially very serious misadventure."

 

[dcassetta]

I could add more accolades for Viking, the Captain and crew as well as the fine people of Moulde, Norway who came to the pier to give the ship and everyone a warm Norwegian welcome but I will stop here for now.

Hearing how helpful the townspeople reminded me of Gander, Newfoundland after 9/11.

 

[SgtTibbs]

A passenger on the Sky just posted this. Pretty impressive!

"As a passenger on the Viking Sky that was stranded in Norway, I want to say that the captain and crew on the Sky did an exceptional job keeping us informed, safe and comfortable during the crisis. Viking did an exceptional job of rebooking air to get us from the port in Moulde to home with minimal issues. While the whole ordeal was frightening, it was NOT as terrifyingly scary as the news media portrayed it to be. (Surprise, surprise, surprise—they do not have the big picture)

This was not at all like the Carnival Cruise ship stranded in the Caribbean, we could not muster outdoors due to cold, wind and rain and large waves and the ship was dangerously close to rocks (think Costa Condordia).

Prior to leaving the Sky in Moulde for the trip to the airport, we met with Torstein Hagen, founder and CEO of Viking. He stated that we would all receive a refund for the cruise and a Viking voucher for a free future Viking Cruise. This again is unlike how Carnival handled their Caribbean stranding where each guest was only given a $200 credit for another Carnival Cruise . ****as an addendum, my correction follows, Carnival comped the passengers on the stranded vessel for the cruise and reimbursed them $2000, per a individual who apparently was part of the affected cruise *****

Viking again comes though showing the reasons they are simply THE best when it comes to cruising. They could give lessons to the other cruise lines as well as a few US companies about correct, excellent customer service and caring for and about the people who travel with them.
GO VIKING !

I could add more accolades for Viking, the Captain and crew as well as the fine people of Moulde, Norway who came to the pier to give the ship and everyone a warm Norwegian welcome but I will stop here for now.

Will I cruise with Viking again? an unequivocal YES. Would I do this particular cruise again with Viking, again YES (especially since the Lights did not materialize as we had hoped)

My advice, if you do have a cruise booked with Viking in the future, please make your own decision if you decide to cancel; however,take it from me when I say that while the ordeal was dangerous and frightening, the Captain and crew were exceptional in how it was handled and how we as guests were treated.

One final item of a very positive nature, Viking CHARTERED a flight from Moulde to Oslo to get us there in time for a 0600 hour flight to Frankfurt. Still more reason to trust Viking and the way that they handled this potentially very serious misadventure."

You know what's even more impressive? Looking at the weather forecast and not letting your ship take on passengers or leave port in those conditions.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

You know what's even more impressive? Looking at the weather forecast and not letting your ship take on passengers or leave port in those conditions.

You know what's worse? Someone that is not a Captain of the ship nor have the expertise to judge without true knowledge of the facts.

 

[SgtTibbs]

You know what's worse? Someone that is not a Captain of the ship nor have the expertise to judge without true knowledge of the facts.

You mean someone like Norwegian Police?

Or this:

"The risk to the passengers and the vessel was high," Dag Sverre Liseth, director of the marine department at the Accident Investigations Board Norway, told AFP.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

You mean someone like Norwegian Police?

Or this:

"The risk to the passengers and the vessel was high," Dag Sverre Liseth, director of the marine department at the Accident Investigations Board Norway, told AFP.

I'm sorry. I will hold out for the real, factual report. It's easy to be an armchair quarterback who wasn't there and have no expertise in the situation but true facts at the end of the investigation is what we should actually be interested in. Right now, there are extremely satisfied passengers. Who am I to judge their opinion?

 

[FrozenDisney]

I'm sorry. I will hold out for the real, factual report. It's easy to be an armchair quarterback who wasn't there and have no expertise in the situation but true facts at the end of the investigation is what we should actually be interested in. Right now, there are extremely satisfied passengers. Who am I to judge their opinion?

You're right, we should wait for the real facts. But one of them we already know: there was too bad weather to use the lifeboats onboard

 

[Intr3pid]

We've seen ships getting engine failure in that area before during stormy conditions, so I assume it had something to do with that. News reports says that the cargo ship lost power because water came into the engine through ventilation

There are cargo ships that get stranded all the time, so your point remains valid - but a cruise ship with thousands of passengers without the necessary survival skills faces a much higher bar for safety. Imagine if the ship had run aground (it came within 100 m) - it would have been a disaster.

Consider, for example, Cunard's QM2. It is built to resist even a rogue wave and is pretty much watertight all the way up to the lower balconies. Yet, it avoids the winter TA crossings and must pass a series of strict tests before every sail-out.

Either the captain of the Sky or the maintenance chief had a serious lapse of judgment. I think Norway needs to conduct a criminal investigation of what transpired - as I doubt Bahamas will do anything about it.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I have zero facts, expertise and was not there and the same goes for everyone here judging Viking. I refuse to pass judgment of something I know nothing about. I was merely pointing out the perspective from a passenger.

If any of you can read Norwegian, this is a great read. https://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/losen-reagerer-pa-kritikk---fantastisk-sjomannskap/70913610 I am quoting this from another forum:
From dagbladet, one of the main newspapers in Norway. Basically one of the pilots onboard when it happened got tired of the criticism of the captain and crew and went out publicly to defend them. He basically says that the weather was not a problem for a ship of this type and everything was fine until they lost power ( which as I've explained before can happen anywhere at anytime ). He then goes on to praise the crew and says that the way they handled the situation and the passengers should be used as a textbook on how to handle such an situation.

The main broadcaster in Norway has reported that investigators are onboard as well as representatives from the Uk as well as the US coast guard. The investigators state that it can take a while before they go public with their findings, unless there is a clear and present danger to other ships in which case they will issue a special bulletin, this might be if they find a design fault or something like that ( much like boeing recently did ) but that he did not expect this to be the case.

 

[Starwind]

as I doubt Bahamas will do anything about it.

Viking Sky flies a Norway flag.

Port of registry: Bergen, Norway.

As for the various investigations being conducted, there is more than one: https://lloydslist.maritimeintellig...y-as-questions-are-raised-over-engine-failure

 

[FrozenDisney]

Viking Sky's engine problem came from low oil pressure

https://www.sdir.no/en/news/news-from-the-nma/press-release-viking-sky/

 

[BCV23]

Viking Sky's engine problem came from low oil pressure

https://www.sdir.no/en/news/news-from-the-nma/press-release-viking-sky/

That is a very interesting read. Thanks.

Do you know if everyone was rescued from the cargo ship that had trouble at the same time? And have you heard any updates on the one passenger on the Sky who was still in critical condition as of yesterday. Hope he/she has improved.

 

[FrozenDisney]

According to news, "over 30 people" were hospitalized from the cruise ship. As of today, 4 people still in hospital, but nothing on their condition (Edit: one person in serious condition)

All nine crew on the cargo ship jumped into the ocean before getting fished up by helicopters. They were all unharmed. On Sunday, the cargo ship was towed to Kristiansund.

The cruise ship has been moved to Kristiansund as well. It sailed itself, but was attached to a offshore supply ship because one anchor was damaged and the other had been cut

 

[Kennywood]

Official: Norway cruise ship engines failed from lack of oil

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A cruise ship that was the focus of a daring rescue operation off Norway's frigid North Sea coast became disabled because its engines didn't have enough lubricating oil, the country's top maritime official said Wednesday.

Low oil levels were the "direct cause" of the engine failure that stranded the ship during a storm Saturday, Lars Alvestad, the acting director general of the Norwegian Maritime Authority, said. Sensors detected the oil shortage and automatically shut down the Viking Sky's engines to prevent a breakdown, he said.

The ship's harrowing weekend ordeal injured dozens of people, including 36 who were admitted to hospitals. Four people from the ship remained hospitalized Wednesday, including one being treated in an intensive care ward in critical but stable condition, Norwegian health officials said.

Alvestad said the amount of oil was "relatively low" but still "within set limits" as the Viking Sky neared Hustadvika, a shallow area known for shipwrecks that has many reefs but no larger islands to offer boats shelter from pounding waves.

"The heavy seas probably caused movements in the tanks so large that the supply to the lubricating oil pumps stopped," Alvestad said during a news conference. "This triggered an alarm indicating a low level of lubrication oil, which in turn, shortly thereafter, caused an automatic shutdown of the engines."

Viking Sky "suffered power 'blackout' in challenging weather conditions," he said.

The ship's operator, Viking Ocean Cruises, said it welcomed "the prompt and efficient investigation" of the weekend emergency and accepted the findings.

"We have inspected the (oil) levels on all our sister ships and are now revising our procedures to ensure that this issue could not be repeated," the company said in a statement.

The Viking Sky ended up in a dangerous situation when the engines stopped Saturday. With the ship carrying 1,373 passengers and crew members rocking violently, the crew sent out a mayday call. Passengers would recall a large wave crashing through glass doors and knocking people across the floor of an area where they were instructed to gather as a muster point.

The crew anchored the Viking Sky in a bay as it came close to hitting rocks and the airlift to get passengers off the ship began. Five helicopters winched passengers off one-by-one as winds howled in the dark of night. Waves up to 26-feet- (8-meters-) high were smacking into the ship, ruling out an evacuation by boat.

The rescue operation ended Sunday when the engines restarted, after 479 passengers had been airlifted to land. The ship traveled under its own power to a Norwegian port with nearly 900 passengers and crew members remaining onboard.

The ship was on a 12-day cruise along Norway's coast before its scheduled arrival Tuesday in Britain. The passengers were mostly an English-speaking mix of American, British, Canadian, New Zealand and Australian citizens.

Alvestad said his agency has issued a new safety notice about crews making sure boats have a continuous supply of lubricating oil to engines and other critical systems in poor weather conditions.

The Viking Sky was being towed to a shipyard in another port Wednesday for repairs.

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...from-lack-of-oil/ar-BBViw0t?OCID=ansmsnnews11

 

[BCV23]

According to news, "over 30 people" were hospitalized from the cruise ship. As of today, 4 people still in hospital, but nothing on their condition (Edit: one person in serious condition)

All nine crew on the cargo ship jumped into the ocean before getting fished up by helicopters. They were all unharmed. On Sunday, the cargo ship was towed to Kristiansund.

The cruise ship has been moved to Kristiansund as well. It sailed itself, but was attached to a offshore supply ship because one anchor was damaged and the other had been cut

Thanks for a reply. Great news that the crew of the cargo ship are all safe. Encouraging news about the most seriously injured passenger or crew member has improved. May the those four heal quickly.