RDC1 Posted March 24, 2019 #326 Share Posted March 24, 2019 2 hours ago, Hlitner said: And the "obvious" answer is that the worst place for a large cruise ship to be in a major storm is docked (or anchored) in a port! The norm is to get the ship out to sea (where it is actually safer) and try to avoid the storm or the worst part of the storm. In fact, most harbor masters will close ports in severe weather and request that ships depart....generally before the storm reaches the port. What happened here is not necessarily related to the weather but to a major power failure (usually electrical). None of us who routinely cruise (we have spent over 1000 days on cruise ships) or spend time at sea are "making light" of it! In fact, I have texted a family member who is on that ship (she is doing fine) to express our concern and inquire about her well-being. And as I posted earlier, she replied that they are doing OK and waiting to be rescued (they are still thinking by helicopter). What I find distressing are the comments (such as yours) that immediately want to point the finger of blame to something, or start asking about compensation. Neither of those issues are appropriate at this point in time when over 1100 folks still remain on that vessel. Trust me that my wife's cousin (who is on the ship and at her muster station) is only concerned about getting to land.. There will be plenty of time later to deal with the blame game. For now, it is about saving lives. Hank Unlike the Caribbean a captain does not have very many options in the Norwegian Sea with a major storm coming from the west or southwest. They cannot go east, they cannot go north. About the only choice is to go south and it sounds like they simply ran out of time. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare GeezerCouple Posted March 24, 2019 #327 Share Posted March 24, 2019 2 minutes ago, RDC1 said: Unlike the Caribbean a captain does not have very many options in the Norwegian Sea with a major storm coming from the west or southwest. They cannot go east, they cannot go north. About the only choice is to go south and it sounds like they simply ran out of time. I think the Captain "ran out of engine", not time, in this case. GC 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDC1 Posted March 24, 2019 #328 Share Posted March 24, 2019 Just now, GeezerCouple said: I think the Captain "ran out of engine", not time, in this case. GC My point was that even before the engine problem there is not a lot of room to avoid the storm when you consider the Norwegian sea and the direction of the storm, and the route of the ship. So very little option for avoiding the weather, even before the engines failed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDC1 Posted March 24, 2019 #329 Share Posted March 24, 2019 57 minutes ago, Pushka said: In the case of the Concordia and now Sky, they were unable to use the lifeboats. So it does beg the question of what they can actually be used for in emergency situations like these two. If the ship was actually sinking they could probably use the lifeboats. The point is that the ship is not sinking. Using the life boats would be hazardous to load, hazardous to launch, and a very very very rough ride. Pretty much a last resort. Passengers are safer on the ship and evacuating is a slow, but manageable process where they can focus on one passenger at a time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_dont Posted March 24, 2019 #330 Share Posted March 24, 2019 Im guessing winching people into helicopters is viewed as less dangerous but in reality it’s incredibly risky. Add in storm and darkness now. An awful decision to have to make. Everyone will need some time to recover from this. It's all about risk management. They have to balance the risk of winching a passenger against the risk of leaving them onboard and having them be unable to assist in their own evacuation should things get more dire requiring them to have to board lifeboats in seriously rolling seas.Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelbugforever Posted March 24, 2019 #331 Share Posted March 24, 2019 (edited) 53 minutes ago, onthelake said: Does anyone know how far it is to Molde and when they could possibly arrive? It is 32 miles to Molde. I understand they may tow it in around 6:10 am. Edited March 24, 2019 by travelbugforever Add info 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovedove17 Posted March 24, 2019 #332 Share Posted March 24, 2019 I can imagine the terror the passengers, crew and Captain must be enduring. My husband and I were on this very ship, the Viking Sky, about 8 months ago. I love the Viking ocean fleet! It was one of my favorite cruises: 14 nights from London to Bergen. The Norwegian fjords are simply spectacular in scenery. I hope everyone is safely rescued soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoundForSea Posted March 24, 2019 #333 Share Posted March 24, 2019 Sky southwest bound at 3-4 knots now underway slowly with what looks like course set for Port of Stavanger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elka Posted March 24, 2019 #334 Share Posted March 24, 2019 13 minutes ago, Pushka said: Im guessing winching people into helicopters is viewed as less dangerous but in reality it’s incredibly risky. Add in storm and darkness now. An awful decision to have to make. Everyone will need some time to recover from this. The Norwegian rescue helicopters are impressive. In October I was on the Hurtigruten Trollfjord. A ship that is more like a Ferry and weighs less then the Viking ship. It was rainy and the sea was rough, it got rougher later. There was a medical emergency and the helicopter landed on the ship and took off about a minute later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatdrill Posted March 24, 2019 #335 Share Posted March 24, 2019 (edited) Although Marine Trafffic shows the Sky still offshore, with two tugs, and two, soon to be three, Offshore Supply Ships standing by, a text I received said the Sky is now in port. Anyone know if this true ? Edited March 24, 2019 by Boatdrill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelbugforever Posted March 24, 2019 #336 Share Posted March 24, 2019 57 minutes ago, onthelake said: Does anyone know how far it is to Molde and when they could possibly arrive? It is 32 miles and I heard they will start towing the ship to Molde at 6:25 am Norwegian time. Go to Post Number 239 for live coverage of the rescue efforts. It is on AgendaFree on Post 239. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoundForSea Posted March 24, 2019 #337 Share Posted March 24, 2019 Current Weather from a station on shore abeam the Sky’s position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pretzlaff Posted March 24, 2019 #338 Share Posted March 24, 2019 It is not in port yet. It is stable and heading slowly into the wind and waves for stability. In the morning it will head into Molde (sp?) with the help of the tow boats. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buggins0402 Posted March 24, 2019 #339 Share Posted March 24, 2019 Does anyone know if the passengers are still in muster stations or have they been allowed back to cabins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phnxgrl Posted March 24, 2019 #340 Share Posted March 24, 2019 (edited) Per latest report from my mom and sis, still in muster stations and many cabins are trashed (my sis was able to briefly got back to theirs to get more warm clothes and said it’s completely wrecked). Also, they are being told it could be days before they get to port. That they are heading out to sea to get away from the waves, and the tugs will not be able to hitch up before daybreak as it’s too dark and rough. Edited March 24, 2019 by Phnxgrl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanoj Posted March 24, 2019 #341 Share Posted March 24, 2019 57 minutes ago, Pushka said: Drive? Using the bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brookie848 Posted March 24, 2019 #342 Share Posted March 24, 2019 3 hours ago, zitsky said: Is the Mediterranean known for bad weather, large waves etc? What is considered a good time to sail the Mediterranean versus a bad time? Okay...I'm only on page 11 of posts and there are 14 right now, so this may already be answered and I apologize if it was. On our last cruise, we spoke at length with a staff member who was in the Mediterranean last summer/fall. He said the weather he experienced in September/October in the Med made the weather on the NY to Bahamas runs in the winter look like nothing. He told us it was the worst seas he's ever encountered. So we will now take that into consideration if/when we do a Med cruise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbrayr Posted March 24, 2019 #343 Share Posted March 24, 2019 2 minutes ago, Phnxgrl said: Per latest report from my mom and sis, still in muster stations and many cabins are trashed. Also, they are being told it could be days before they get to port. That they are heading out to sea to get away from the waves, and the rugs will not be able to hitch up before daybreak as it’s too dark and rough. So glad you can be in touch getting personal updates from your mom and sister. I am upbeat that they will all be okay and with interesting vacation stories to share. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted March 24, 2019 #344 Share Posted March 24, 2019 Prayers to all involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaDog-46 Posted March 24, 2019 #345 Share Posted March 24, 2019 I don't know where some of you get your info from - Costa Concordia managed to get all but 2 or 3 of the lifeboats away & the crew received a commendation from Lloyds for the speedy evacuation. This is no thanks to captain coward but to the staff captain & his band of helpers [deck officers] that had most boats loaded & ready when abandonship was declared. In this case with the ship anchored & heading into the seas - any attempt to launch lifeboats would be very dangerous. Not so long ago the La Borelle last power off the Falklands - evacuated the passengers & some crew - then anchored the ship to save her from going ashore. This is good seamanship on both vessels - something capt. coward knew zero about. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigAl94 Posted March 24, 2019 #346 Share Posted March 24, 2019 A freighter that attended the rescue has sunk, 8 crew rescued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare GeezerCouple Posted March 24, 2019 #347 Share Posted March 24, 2019 1 minute ago, BigAl94 said: A freighter that attended the rescue has sunk, 8 crew rescued. I hope it was 9 crew rescued? We had heard there were 9 on board. GC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebbieMacG Posted March 24, 2019 #348 Share Posted March 24, 2019 (edited) 18 minutes ago, Hanoj said: Using the bridge 1 hour ago, matadams4u said: It doesn’t look like it is that close and it looks like it is a long drive from Molde to London There isn’t a bridge from Norway to London 😳 Edited March 24, 2019 by DebbieMacG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodtobequeen Posted March 24, 2019 #349 Share Posted March 24, 2019 19 minutes ago, Phnxgrl said: Per latest report from my mom and sis, still in muster stations and many cabins are trashed (my sis was able to briefly got back to theirs to get more warm clothes and said it’s completely wrecked). Also, they are being told it could be days before they get to port. That they are heading out to sea to get away from the waves, and the tugs will not be able to hitch up before daybreak as it’s too dark and rough. Thanks for the report, we haven't heard anything in about 4 hours. Prayers for your family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C1nnabar Posted March 24, 2019 #350 Share Posted March 24, 2019 2 minutes ago, DebbieMacG said: 1 hour ago, matadams4u said: It doesn’t look like it is that close and it looks like it is a long drive from Molde to London There isn’t a bridge from Norway to London Bridge of the ship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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