The Norwegian Navy’s ill-fated frigate KNM Helge Ingstad was refloated this week, just six weeks after the sunken vessel was raised from the waters of the Hjeltefjord northwest of Bergen. Members of Parliament, meanwhile, have called for an investigation into the salvage operation itself, because of concerns over how it was carried out and its […]
Body found in Barents still a mystery
April 11, 2019
A preliminary autopsy report indicates that a decaying human body found in a Norwegian trawler’s fishing nets in the Arctic last week was a man between the ages of 30 and 50, according to the Troms Police District. His identity remains unknown. “We have secured DNA and fingerprints,” inspector Ståle Luther told state broadcaster NRK. […]
Trawler pulls up dead, decaying body
April 4, 2019
The crew on board a Norwegian trawler fishing in Arctic waters found a human body snagged in its nets when they pulled them up on Thursday. The vessel immediately headed for the mainland of Northern Norway to turn over the body to authorities. “We thought at first that there were some old clothes lying back […]
Cruise line donates to rescue service
April 3, 2019
Viking Cruises, which operates the cruiseship Viking Sky that landed in a major maritime drama last month, is donating NOK 1 million (USD 117,000) to Norway’s humanitarian organization aimed at saving lives at sea. It was among those responding after the cruiseship lost power and nearly grounded in stormy seas on March 23. The donation […]
Three face blame for frigate collision
April 3, 2019
No charges have been filed yet, but the police investigation into the spectacular collision between a Norwegian frigate and an oil tanker last fall is now targeting three people. They’re all believed to have played “central roles” in the maritime drama. “These are the three who were responsible for the three entities involved,” Ole Bjørn […]
Low oil pressure blamed for ship’s stall
March 27, 2019
Norway’s maritime directorate has determined that low oil pressure caused all four engines on the ill-fated cruiseship Viking Sky to stall last Saturday, leaving it adrift and dangerously close to grounding in stormy seas with nearly 1,400 people on board. “The level of lubricating oil in the tanks was within limits but relatively low when […]
Shipowner scorned for avoiding taxes
March 27, 2019
Just days after the Viking Sky cruiseship ran into serious trouble in a storm off the Norwegian coast over the weekend, a new storm is blowing around the cruiseline’s billionaire founder Torstein Hagen. Critics point to how he’s avoided paying taxes to his native Norway for years, only to benefit greatly from the massive, taxpayer-financed […]
Two killed in another avalanche
March 26, 2019
Two Norwegian men were killed in an avalanche in Nordland County Tuesday afternoon. They were each operating excavators in an effort to open a local road after the winter when the avalanche came crashing down. The alarm sounded at around noon, and the emergency response was swift with both police, ambulances, volunteers and a SeaKing […]
Investigation begins into cruise drama
March 25, 2019
Norway’s accident investigations board and the maritime directorate have already launched a probe into why all four engines stalled on the relatively new cruiseship Viking Sky while it was crossing a stormy stretch of sea off the West Coast. Questions are also flying as to why the cruiseship, with nearly 1,400 people on board, kept […]
Rescue operation wins tributes
March 25, 2019
Grateful passengers couldn’t seem to praise Norwegian search and rescue efforts enough on Sunday, after the dramatic near-grounding of their cruiseship in a major storm on Saturday. As one man put it, “I didn’t see much of the Northern Lights, but I met the Norwegian people.” Hui Boon Tan gave a lengthy, articulate and heartfelt […]
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