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Accidents

Viking Sky (2019)

Viking Sky lost propulsion and steering in a storm near Hustadvika, came close to grounding, and required a large helicopter evacuation before reaching Molde.

Classification

  • Incident Type: Engine Failure
  • Severity: High
  • Investigation: NSIA Marine Report 2024/05 classifies the occurrence as a machinery failure in Norwegian territorial waters.

Vessel Details

FieldValue
Vessel NameViking Sky
Vessel TypeCruise
Flag StateNorway [NO], NIS
IMO Number9650420
Call SignalLAYU7
Gross Tonnage47,842
LOA (m)228.37
Breadth (m)
Bollard Pull (t)
Power (kW)
Owner/OperatorViking Ocean Cruises AS / Wilhelmsen Ship Management (Norway) AS
Year Built2017
Persons Aboard1,374
Passengers915
Crew459

Incident Details

FieldValue
Date2019-03-23
Time13:58 local time (UTC+1)
LocationHustadvika, Møre og Romsdal, Norway
Coordinates63.0050, 6.9933
RegionNorth Sea
Fatalities0
Injuries19 passengers
Missing
Direct DamageCracked windows, a broken restaurant door, damage to lifeboat no. 3 and its davit controls, gangway bracket, railings, lifejacket boxes, starboard stabiliser, port anchor, and interior fittings.
Economic Damage
Environmental Damage

Key facts

  • Viking Sky had 1,374 persons aboard and came within approximately one ship length of grounding.
  • The blackout was caused by insufficient lubricating oil in the operating diesel-generator sump tanks combined with pitching and rolling in rough seas.
  • Recovery from blackout until both propulsion motors were operational and making 1-5 knots ahead took 39 minutes.
  • The final report records 19 injured passengers and no fatalities, and makes 14 safety recommendations.

Narrative

Viking Sky left Tromsø at approximately 22:00 on 21 March 2019 with one of its four diesel generators unavailable. On 23 March, while sailing in rough seas near Hustadvika, the three operating generators shut down in sequence at 13:58 local time. The blackout caused loss of propulsion and steering. The crew issued a Mayday at 14:00 and dropped both anchors, but the anchors did not hold and the vessel drifted toward shore.

The crew began transferring lubricating oil at about 14:12. Propulsion was restored within 39 minutes of the blackout, but the vessel remained in a dangerous position while rescue resources approached. The coast guard vessel KV Njord arrived at about 16:40 and the tug Vivax at about 17:05. Helicopter evacuation continued overnight. The final report records 460 passengers evacuated in the continuous overnight operation, while NSIA's interim page reports 479 passengers evacuated by helicopter.

Towlines were secured at about 08:30 on 24 March and the evacuation stopped at about 09:15. Viking Sky reached Molde and moored at about 16:25. NSIA found that the sump-tank arrangement was not compliant with SOLAS, the vessel departed without the expected redundancy for Safe Return to Port, and blackout recovery training did not include a full blackout without a standby generator.

Sequence of events

Date and timeEvent
2019-03-21, 22:00Viking Sky left Tromsø with one of four diesel generators unavailable.
2019-03-23, 13:58Diesel generators shut down, causing blackout and loss of propulsion and steering.
2019-03-23, 14:00The crew sent a Mayday; both anchors were dropped but did not hold.
2019-03-23, 14:12The crew began transferring lubricating oil.
2019-03-23, approximately 16:40Coast guard vessel KV Njord arrived.
2019-03-23, approximately 17:05Tug Vivax arrived.
2019-03-24, approximately 08:30Towlines were secured.
2019-03-24, approximately 09:15Helicopter evacuation stopped.
2019-03-24, approximately 16:25Viking Sky moored in Molde.

Contributing factors

FactorEvidence labelEvidence-based description
Insufficient lubricating oil in the operating generator sump tanksConfirmed findingNSIA identified insufficient oil at the generator suctions during the vessel's pitching and rolling as the direct cause of the blackout.
Sump-tank designConfirmed findingNSIA found the arrangement non-compliant with SOLAS and vulnerable to oil uncovering the suction pipes in rough seas.
Departure with one diesel generator unavailableConfirmed findingNSIA found that the vessel did not meet the expected Safe Return to Port redundancy when it left Tromsø.
Oil-level monitoring and proceduresConfirmed findingNSIA identified inaccurate remote monitoring and inadequate guidance on oil levels and alarm set points.
Blackout recovery trainingReportedNSIA considered the lack of a full blackout drill without a standby generator likely to have contributed to the recovery difficulties.

Investigation

The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority led the investigation with support from the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch, the United States Coast Guard, the United States National Transportation Safety Board, and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. NSIA published Marine Report 2024/05 and issued 14 safety recommendations.

References

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