A successful rescue mission in fierce weather that captivated the world on 23 March 2019. This is the story of the Viking Sky: a cruise ship with 1373 people on board which lost power off the coast of Norway. The strong winds and high waves made the rescue operation even more dramatic. A second ship in the vicinity running into trouble, added to the already highly challenging situation.
The world watched with distress the images that emerged from the cruise ship and followed on (social) media the awe-inspiring hoisting operation as it unfolded throughout the afternoon and the entire night. By 10:30 am the next day 479 out of the 1373 passengers were successfully evacuated by helicopter. This makes it the largest passenger ship rescue operation to date. The question for the Viking Sky ship owners will undoubtedly be “What went wrong?”. But the rescue mission is one which deserve the exact opposite “What went right?” Here’s a first-person account from Capt. Jim Nielsen and the crew of Rescue 9 highlighting the importance of the impeccable organisation behind the mission, the competence, skills, the benefit of training and a well-rested crew.
