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Hurtigruten boss “in mourning” following tragic Nordlys fire - update

Expedition cruise specialists Hurtigruten have described the fire on board Nordlys which killed two crew members as "a tragedy and the worst possible situation".

Four other crew members were still in hospital today with sreious injuries as a result of the blaze which broke out shortly before the ship’s scheduled arrival in the Norwegian coastal town of Alesund.

It is hoped the Nordlys will resume by the middle of October

Hurtigruten CEO Olav Fjell immediately travelled to Alesund when the extent of the accident was known.

The MS Nordlys waa today responding to the rescue efforts by an international team of experts to correct the severe listing of the ship.

There were 16 nationalities of guests on board the Nordlys, and efforts are now concentrating on organising their homeward
journeys. Hurtigruten are working closely with all relevant embassies to secure the necessary travel documentation.

Currently personal belongings of guests cannot be removed from the ship until authority is given by the rescue team.

The fire was detected at 9.17 am yesterday morning as Nordlys, carrying 207 guests and 55 crew,  was due to make its scheduled stop on her jouney to the Arctic Circle from Bergen. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined and an investigation is underway.

The company has multi lingual representatives in Alesund to ensure guests receive the best possible support.

Mr Fjell said: “This is a tragedy and the worst possible situation. We are in mourning, but work as hard as possible to follow up the next of kin, the injured, their families and other employees in the best way possible.”

MS Nordlys has a heel of approximately 10 degrees but divers established that the hull has not been damaged, although water leakage was detected.

It is anticipated that Nordlys will be out of service until mid-October.