On Saturday the 23rd of March 2019, the Viking Sky Cruise Ship was on its way from Tromsø to Stavanger when it was caught in a powerful storm off the Norwegian coast. The ship, with over 1,300 passengers and crew onboard, suddenly found itself in distress as the engine failed and it drifted towards the rocky coastline.
The ship sent out a mayday call as it lost power and started to drift dangerously close to land. All onboard were instructed to wear life vests and prepare for evacuation. In response, four helicopters were sent from the Norwegian Coast Guard to rescue those on board.
The first helicopter arrived just after 4 pm local time and began rescuing passengers one-by-one from the deck of the ship. The rescue operation continued for several hours until eventually all of those onboard had been safely evacuated. In total, almost 500 people were rescued by helicopter during this dramatic mission.
The Viking Sky Cruise Ship was eventually towed away from danger by two tugboats and taken to Molde, where it was able to dock safely. It has since been revealed that engine failure was caused by low oil pressure in one of the engines due to a mechanical failure.
This incident has highlighted just how vulnerable ships can be in extreme weather conditions, as well as how important it is for ships to have good safety protocols in place for such situations. Thankfully this story has ended with no fatalities or serious injuries reported – an amazing outcome considering the circumstances!
Conclusion: On 23rd March 2019, Viking Sky Cruise Ship ran into trouble due to engine failure while sailing near Norwegian coast in a powerful storm. Four helicopters were sent by Coast Guard which rescued almost 500 people onboard before towboats pulled away cruise ship from danger towards Molde port where it could dock safely without any fatalities or serious injuries reported – a miraculous outcome!