The Hurtigruten ship MS Vesterålen was cleared to resume sailing along Norway’s coast on Wednesday after what officials call a “mysterious” crash into its pier at Bergen on Tuesday. The collision tore down a passenger bridge and caused minor damage to the vessel as well.
“It’s still a mystery why the Vesterålen suddenly lost power in its brakes when it should have tied up in Bergen,” Ragnar Norum, communications chief for Hurtigruten, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
There were no injuries and the damage to the vessel’s starboard side was considered minor and mostly “cosmetic.” The ship underwent repairs at the Fiskerstrand shipyard on Wednesday. Inspectors from both the maritime directorate and classification society Det Norske Veritas tested the ship on the Byfjorden Tuesday evening, but couldn’t find the reason for the accident.
“They tried to provoke another such brake failure, but nothing happened,” Norum said. “All the technical equipment was in order.” The ship was thus approved for further sailing.
newsinenglish.no staff
