The Viking Ocean Cruises ship, which was on a 12-day trip that started March 14, was experiencing engine problems, and the crew feared it would run aground. They were able to anchor the ship for the evacuations to take place. Late Saturday evening three of the ship’s four engines had been restarted. Later, a cargo ship with nine crew members was in distress and two of the helicopters were diverted to help. All crew of the Hagland Captain were rescued. The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Hundreds of passengers and crew members on a stranded Viking cruise liner off the coast of Norway were awaiting rescue on Saturday after an engine failed. ABC News reported Saturday that efforts were underway from Norwegian authorities to evacuate 1,300 people, including 900 passengers, from a Viking cruise ship dubbed "The Viking Sky," which reported engine failure and stranding around 2 p.m. local time. ADVERTISEMENT Video posted by passengers on social media showed the ship being battered by heavy waves as furniture was tossed about the interior. Norway's Rescue Coordination Centre reported to ABC News that eight people had been removed with injuries so far, while at least 87 people had been evacuated in total since efforts began. One engine remained operational on the ship to prevent it from drifting further into the ocean, according to news reports. #VikingSky Video footage taken from helicopter earlier today.. Ship has anchor put, aiding with one engine to stop ship from drifting off. @potifar66 pic.twitter.com/WKL5LNX5nJ — Global News (@GlobalNewsIL) March 23, 2019 "We are working closely with the relevant authorities and all operational procedures were followed in line with international regulations," a Viking spokesperson told The Hill in an email. "In addition Viking has dispatched an operational task force, including the company’s owner, to Molde." "Our first priority was for the safety and wellbeing of our passengers and our crew, and in close cooperation with the Norwegian Coast Guard, the captain decided to evacuate all guests from the vessel by helicopter," the spokesperson continued. "The ship is proceeding on its own power and a tugboat is on site. The evacuation is proceeding with all necessary caution. A small number of non-life threatening injuries have been reported. Guests are being accommodated in local hotels when they arrive back on shore, and Viking will arrange for return flights for all guests," the spokesperson said. One passenger, Danny Bates, told Eurovision that passengers were being airlifted in slings by helicopters. "Very frightening. We went up on a helicopter with a sling, the two of us together and it was quite scary," Bates said, according to ABC.<doc-sep>Rescue workers off Norway's western coast rushed to evacuate 1,300 passengers and crew from a disabled cruise ship by helicopter on Saturday, winching them one-by-one to safety as heaving waves tossed the ship from side to side HELSINKI -- Rescue workers off Norway's western coast rushed to evacuate 1,300 passengers and crew from a disabled cruise ship by helicopter on Saturday, winching them one-by-one to safety as heaving waves tossed the ship from side to side and high winds battered the operation. The Viking Sky issued a mayday call as bad weather hit and engine problems caused it to start drifting toward the rocky shore, the Norwegian newspaper VG reported. Police in the western county of Moere og Romsdal said the crew, fearing the ship would run aground, managed to anchor in Hustadvika Bay, between the Norwegian cities of Alesund and Trondheim, so the evacuations could take place. Rescue teams with helicopters and boats were sent to evacuate the cruise ship under extremely difficult circumstances, including gusts up to 38 knots (43 mph) and waves over 8 meters (26 feet). The area is known for its rough, frigid waters. Norwegian public broadcaster NRK said the Viking Sky's evacuation was a slow and dangerous process, as passengers needed to be hoisted one-by-one from the cruise ship to the five available helicopters. "I was afraid. I've never experienced anything so scary," Janet Jacob, among the first group of passengers evacuated to the nearby town of Molde, told NRK. She said her helicopter ride to safety came amid strong winds "like a tornado," prompting her to pray "for the safety of all aboard." The majority of the cruise ship passengers were reportedly British and American tourists. About 180 have been evacuated so far, according to rescue officials. Per Fjeld of the Joint Rescue Center Southern Norway said there is no danger to the remaining passengers and the airlift can accommodate all of them. He said the rescue will speed up when there is better light and the weather improves. Video and photos from people on the ship showed it heaving, with chairs and other furniture dangerously rolling from side to side. Passengers were suited up in orange life vests but the waves broke some ship windows and cold water flowed over the feet of some passengers. American passenger John Curry told NRK that he was having lunch as the cruise ship started to shake. "It was just chaos. The helicopter ride from the ship to shore I would rather not think about. It wasn't nice," Curry told the broadcaster. NRK said one 90-year-old-man and his 70-year-old spouse on the ship were severely injured but did not say how that happened. Later, reports emerged that a cargo ship with nine crew members was in trouble nearby, and the local Norwegian rescue service diverted two of the five helicopters working on the cruise ship to that rescue. Authorities told NRK that a strong storm with high waves was preventing rescue workers from using life boats or tug boats to take passengers ashore. Fjeld said rescuers were prioritizing the nine crew members aboard the Hagland Captain cargo ship, but later said they had all been rescued and the helicopters had returned to help the Viking Sky. He said that with two more of the Viking Sky's engines now in operation there is the possibility of sailing, though he would not say whether there is an intention of sailing to shore. Norwegian authorities said late Saturday that the evacuation of the Viking Sky would proceed all through the night into Sunday. The Viking Sky was on a 12-day trip that began March 14 in the western Norwegian city of Bergen, according to the cruisemapper.com website. The ship was visiting the Norwegian towns and cities of Narvik, Alta, Tromso, Bodo and Stavanger before its scheduled arrival Tuesday in the British port of Tilbury on the River Thames. The Viking Sky, a vessel with gross tonnage of 47,800, was delivered in 2017 to operator Viking Ocean Cruises. ——— Sheila Norman-Culp contributed from London.<doc-sep>
A luxury cruise ship is safely back in a Norwegian port after 24 hours of engine problems and rough seas forced the evacuation of hundreds of passengers. The Viking Sky lost engine power and became crippled in rough waters Saturday, forcing it to weigh anchor just 300 feet from jagged rocks to conduct airlift rescue operations in the Norwegian Sea, according to the Associated Press. Social media posts show the boat destabilized, rocking side to side in 20-30 foot waters as furniture and objects careened into frightened passengers. Minnesota native Rodney Horgan, 62, told the AP that he watched six feet of water rush onto the ship and thought “‘This is it,’ I grabbed my wife but I couldn’t hold on. And she was thrown across the room. And then she got thrown back again by the wave coming back.” Horgan and his wife were eventually airlifted from the boat. The ship lost power on Saturday afternoon and sent out a distress call. It drifted for 30 minutes along a notoriously rough stretch of water and was close to striking rocks before the crew decided to drop anchor, according to the BBC News. The AP reported that 479 passengers were airlifted throughout the evening, until the Viking Sky’s captain decided noon Sunday that conditions had improved and the ship would try to get back into port. 100 meters from a major disaster. After a total blackout, #VikingSky was drifting in a storm for 30 minutes before the anchors finally set 100 meters from shore, and then the crew managed to start one of the engines. @lookner pic.twitter.com/Drn3XAAC5c — L.O.M.P.E. (@Lompemann) March 24, 2019 The boat was able to restart three of its four engines Sunday, and was escorted by two tugboats as it traveled under its own power into the port of Molde, Norway. The boat is owned by Viking Ocean Cruises, who reported 20 people injured “as a result of this incident, and they are all receiving care at the relevant medical centers in Norway, with some already having been discharged,” according to the Associated Press. The mostly English-speaking passengers were largely from the U.S., U.K., Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The cruise journeyed into the Norwegian towns of Narvik, Alta, Tromso and Bodo before it was scheduled to arrive Tuesday into the British port of Tilbury on the River Thames. (RELATED: Cruise Ship Returns To Port Day Early After 277 People Were Exposed To Norovirus, Forced To Stay On Boat) Follow Whitney on Twitter Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.