Cruise Ship MS Nordlys Explosion – Incident Photo Of The Week

Two crew members where killed and over a dozen people injured by a fire aboard the cruise ship Nordlysand. The fire is believed to have ignited in the engine room after an explosion. All 262 crew members and crew where evacuated from the vessel.

The ship was sailing along the western of Norway, 230 miles north-west of Oslo, when the fire broke Thursday morning. Police received eyewitness testimony that there was an explosion but do not know the source of the blast.

Television stations across Europe showed clouds of thick black smoke rising from the ship after it was taken to Aalesund and, eventually, docked. Borghild Eldoeen, a spokesman for the rescue services in Norway said.”The fire is under control now but we have a problem with the ship taking on water so right now they are working on stabilising the vessel.” The ship continues to list.

The Nordlys, which belongs to the Hurtigruten company, was sailing northwards from Bergen to the Arctic circle when it caught fire. The nationalities of the passengers is not known, but most of the tourists are believed to be Norwegian.

Some of the 55 crew members remain on board to help firefighters battle the blaze.

The Nordlys was built in 1944 by Volkswerft in Stralsund, Germany and is one of several vessels that ply the Norwegian coast on a popular 1,500-mile cruise between above the Arctic Circle. The line carries primarily tourists but also serves as a ferry for locals between small coastal cities.

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