Walker & O'Neill, P.A. (LexBlog Norway)

Early yesterday morning, a cruise passenger went overboard from the MSC Euribia while the cruise ship was sailing in the Sognefjord fjord between Lavik and Oppedal in Norway. The Norwegian newspaper Bergens Tidende reports that a passenger “in his late 50’s,” who was traveling with his wife, went overboard around 2:00 a.m. early Thursday morning....

Crew Member Aboard Viking Star Tests Positive for COVID-19 A crew member aboard the Viking Star (right) reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 according to the NRK newspaper in Norway. The newspaper states that it “is unclear where the person became infected.” The person in question took a test, which was negative, in his home country...

COVID-19 Cases Confirmed Among Crew Members on MS Roald Amundsen Crew members who are employed aboard a Hurtigruten ship tested positive today for COVID-19, according to several newspapers in Norway. Nordlys reports that the crew members work on the Hurtigruten expedition cruise ship, the MS Roald Amundsen, which reportedly recently sailed to Svalbard with around...

A violent brawl broke out on P&O’s Britannia last night as the ship was sailing from Bergen, Norway to Southampton.  A Chief Correspondent of ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Richard Gaisford, tweeted about the melee which occurred as the Britannia cruise ship was returning to the UK following a one week cruise to ports in Norway. The...

The Viking Sky cruise ship lost power as it sailed toward Stavanger, Norway in heavy seas and wind today. The cruise ship issued a mayday call and many passengers were evacuated from the cruise ship via helicopter as the ship rocked back and forth in stormy weather. Passengers were reportedly being hoisted one-by-one by rescue...

This past week, I received information from a reader of Cruise Law News who lives in Bergen Norway. He explained that the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) is using drones equipped with measuring instruments to test sulphur levels in ship emissions. There is an article in the Maritime Authority’s latest publication, Navigare, regarding this issue. Translated,...

A crew member leading cruise guests from Hapag Lloyd Cruises‘ MS Bremen was injured by a bear during a cruise excursion north of Norway yesterday, according to many news accounts. The polar bear attacked the cruise employee, who was acting as a “polar bear guard,” on Saturday July 28, 2018  during a cruise excursion by...

A fire reportedly erupted in the engine room of the cruise ship MS Nordnorge yesterday (June 29th) when the vessel was docked at Trondheim, Norway, according to the Maritime Bulletin. Crew members and city firefighters extinguished the fire. Three crew members were reportedly treated for smoke inhalation. The Nordnorge is a “ro-ro” ship (roll on...

The Horizon cruise ship ran aground today in Stavanger, Norway.  The Stavanager Aftonblad newspaper reports that the cruise ship became stuck after sailing into the sandbanks near the Norwegian port. Tugs were sent to the scene and and pushed the ship safely into the dock. The Horizon is owned by Croisieres de France, a subsidiary...

Viking Ocean Cruises CEO Torstein Hagen has been indicted in Norway on corruption charges arising out of the christening of the Viking Star cruise ship. As we previously reported last week, the Godmother for the new cruise ship, Trude Drevland, the mayor of Bergen City in Norway, has been under police investigation due to allegations of...

A newspaper in Norway reports today that a pilot association seized the Independence of the Seas for non-payment of the association’s fees. The association petitioned a court in Norway to detain the cruise ship. A local bailiff served the arrest papers today. The Independence of the Seas was in Alesund, Norway at the time of the...

A newspaper in Norway reports that a cruise ship passenger was killed and three other passengers were injured while on an Artic cruise excursion. The incident occurred when a rubber inflatable boat (a Zodiac) was swamped by a wave in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, causing all 13 people to go into icy Arctic waters....

I thought that I was experiencing deja vu while reading accounts that a cruise ship struck underwater rocks in a Norwegian fjord yesterday, resulting in damage to the ship’s hull. The Marco Polo, operated by Cruise and Maritime Voyages, was sailing from Sortland, Norway, when the incident occurred.  A week ago we reported on a...

A Cruise Law News reader has alerted us to a major engine problem for the Saga Sapphire cruise ship which has broken down during a cruise through Norway.  A passenger aboard the stricken cruise ship writes: “The Saga Sapphire is currently struck with motor-problems again – this time whilst on a Norwegian Cruise – and...

Norwegian Broadcasting reports that the cruise-ferry Stena Saga, which operates between Oslo and Fredrikshavn in Denmark, was hit by an explosion in its engine room over the Easter weekend.  The explosion sparked a fire.  A newspaper in Norway reports that “alarmed residents south of Drøbak called emergency services when they saw smoke billowing from the...

The Associated Press is reporting that a fire on the M/S Nordlys cruise ship this morning killed two people and injured at least nine others while operating on a popular route along Norway’s coast.  The AP reports that nine people were taken to the hospital, two with serious burns and smoke injuries.  Eight of those injured and sent to the hospital were...

Yesterday, in the case of Lindo v. NCL, a federal appellate court entered a decision which further stripped the legal rights away from seriously injured cruise employees.    The Lindo case is the latest decision which reflects that our judiciary has little concern for the rights of cruise employees outside of the U.S.  Eight years ago the Norwegian cruise...

The Washington Post reports this morning that a fire on a German cruise ship at a port in western Norway forced the evacuation of the 607 passengers and crew members on board. A rescue services spokesman says the passengers on the Deutschland cruise ship are being evacuated. The fire started in the machine room and firefighters have now contained it to that area....