The crew of a Dutch cargo ship heading to Norway were forced to abandon ship during rough seas. They were rescued by the Norwegian Coast Guard
The following written content from 1news
The Norwegian Coastal Administration said today they have dispatched a coast guard ship to inspect the situation with the Eemslift Hendrika, which is listing and afloat without engine power on the Norwegian Sea 130 kilometres off the city of Alesund.
Video from the scene showed how the Norwegian Rescue Coordination Centre evacuated some of the ship’s 12 crew members by helicopters after they had jumped into the sea. The ship issued a distress call late yesterday.
Maritime authorities said their focus now was to figure out how to stabilise the vessel so it wouldn’t sink while trying make sure the ship doesn’t crash into the shore. Surveillance aircraft were patrolling the area.
“We are optimistic but at the same time there are 15-metre high waves and strong winds. The weather conditions are extreme and the safety of personnel will always come first,” emergency director Hannes-Petter Mortensholm at the Norwegian Coastal Administration told the VG newspaper.
Norwegian public broadcaster NRK said the ship lost power in its main engine late Monday night. If the vessel sinks, Norwegian authorities are concerned that diesel and fuel oil could spill from its tanks.
Registered in the Netherlands, the Eemslift Hendrika was built in 2015. Read more from 1news
The following written content from Euronews
A Dutch cargo ship running adrift was in danger of capsizing on Tuesday after it encountered rough weather conditions off the coast of Norway.A Dutch cargo ship running adrift was in danger of capsizing on Tuesday after it encountered rough weather conditions off the coast of Norway.
Crew members onboard the Eemslift Hendrika had raised an alert in the North Sea on Monday prompting the Norwegian Coast Guard to launch an operation to evacuate the 12-person staff off the vessel.
Footage posted by the Coast Guard showed rescuers airlifting the crew from the ship as it was battered by waves of up to 15 metres in height.
Some crew members were seen being airlifted from the sea while others were rescued from the ship’s deck.
All of the 12 were brought to safety.
Norwegian officials told state broadcaster NRK that the 111 metre (366 feet) Netherlands-registered ship, which was transporting smaller yachts, had lost power in its main engine and was now drifting towards land. Read more from euronews