Two crew members were tragically killed and four members of crew remain in hospital following a fire on board the MS Nordlys shortly before the ship was due to arrive into Ålesund.
The fire was detected on Thursday September 15th at 9.17 am as the ship was due to make its scheduled stop at Ålesund. The ship was sailing northbound from Bergen. The cause of the fire at this stage is not known. The ship is now docked in Ålesund and the fire is under control.
There were 207 guests on board the MS Nordlys and a crew of 55. All are accounted for but a thorough search of the ship was completed early afternoon. Guests and crew are accommodated and taken care of along with the families of those injured and bereaved. The company has multi lingual representatives in Ålesund to ensure that all customers receive the best possible support, among them is Hurtigruten’s CEO Olav Fjell who traveled immediately to Ålesund when the extent of the accident was known.
"This is a tragedy and the worst possible situation." said Olav Fjell.
MS Nordlys has a heel of approx. 10 degrees but the vessel is stabilized. Divers have confirmed no penetration of the hull, but water leakage was detected. Pumps were started to ensure no further damage.