Dramatic images: A ship sailing unmanned in the Norwegian Sea is in danger of sinking

Without machines and having been abandoned by his crew in dramatic conditions, a Dutch cargo ship sailing unmanned in its sea Of Norway. In fact, the Norwegian authorities are worried about the possibility of its sinking.

The Eemslift Hendrika, which transports small boats from Bremerhaven in the Netherlands to Kolvereid in Norway, sounded the alarm yesterday, signaling a significant tilt following a shift of cargo.

The 12 crew members were evacuated with the help of Norwegian rescue services: the first eight were picked up by helicopter from its bridge ship, while the last four fell into the sea and were rescued by helicopter.

The engine-damaged Eemslift Hendrika continued to sail unmanned to the Norwegian coast, as reported by the French Agency and the Athens News Agency. This morning it was located 130 kilometers northwest of the city of Alejoun.

«The ship is sailing unmanned with a significant inclination (40 to 50 degrees) and there is a risk of capsizing. “Our main priority is to try to stabilize it in order to prevent it from sinking and leaking fuel oil into the sea,” said a spokesman for the Norwegian Coast Guard.

The ship’s tanks contain 350 m3 of fuel oil, 75 m3 of diesel and 10 m3 of grease.

A Norwegian Coast Guard ship is headed for the ship, while the ship-owning company has requested the assistance of the Dutch rescue company Smit Salvage, which participated in the release of the Ever Given on the Suez Canal last week.

The very difficult meteorological conditions, with waves 10 to 15 meters high, complicate the situation, but improvement is expected in the afternoon.