Underwater examination of the cruise ship Viking Sky, which suffered a black out and went adrift along with almost 1,400 people onboard in the Norwegian sea over the weekend, revealed that there was no damage to the hull of the ship.
The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) has had two inspectors from their survey office in Kristiansund, as well as a representative from Section for Passenger Vessels in Haugesund, onboard the vessel.
The main focus was on the ship’s machinery and logs covering the alarms that went off prior to and during the incident in Hustadvika, Saturday afternoon.
When the diver was down, the inlets for cooling water were also inspected, to make sure that they were not clogged. The inlets have been confirmed by the diver to be open and seemingly in order,
…NMA said.
The NMA is working closely with the shipowner and the classification society to identify the specific cause for the blackout. In addition, the NMA is assisting both the police and the Accident Investigation Board in their work, says Acting Director General Lars Alvestad.
The inspection has revealed so far the fact that there has been a blackout, but NMA cannot determine the cause of this blackout yet.
So far however, it has been established that when the incident had occurred, the competency and efforts of the crew played an important role in the fortunate outcome.
….the Authority said.
In its latest update on 27 March, NMA said it has been notified by the shipowner that they wish to move the ship to a shipyard in Kristiansund to start the repair of the damage to the ship.
The requirements for moving the ship will be clarified as soon as possible, the Authority noted.
The Viking Sky crew sent out a distress call on Saturday, after the ship suffered engine failure and remained drifted in rough waters in the Norwegian Sea to within 100 meters of land. Waves were reportedly 6 to 8 meters high.
Weather conditions were so extreme that no lifeboats could be launched. As such, search and rescue forces airlifted a total of 479 people, one-by-one on to helicopters, before the weather improved on Sunday and towing could begin.
‘Viking Sky’ eventually arrived at the port of Molde on Norway’s west coast, Sunday. There were about 20 injuries reported.
The incident is under investigation by the Accident Investigation Board of Norway (AIBN), while the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and UK Maritime Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) are also participating.
