– What the directorate takes seriously are a number of deficiencies related to the staffing on board, says communications director Dag Inge Aarhus to news. The collision on Sunday afternoon happened after the captain fell asleep on the bridge. The person was alone for a short period of time, as the engine attendant was in the engine room. The machine passer entered the bridge just before it slammed, and together the two were able to slow down a bit before the ferry sailed into the rock face. Too few on the bridge The low staffing on the bridge is one of the points the Norwegian Maritime Directorate points to. A vessel such as MF “Skånevik” has, among other things, requirements for a manned engine room – in addition to two people on the bridge. – Then the person in charge of the machine cannot be part of the two-person bridge crew at the same time, points out Dag Inge Aarhus. In addition to this, the Norwegian Maritime Directorate believes that it has uncovered a lack of training related to this particular ferry among several of those who worked on board. The Directorate also believes that the shipping company has not documented well enough how they observe the rest time for the crew, or how crisis and passenger handling should take place. It is currently unclear why the captain fell asleep. Rødne Fjord Cruise, which organizes the tourist trips, denies that the crew has had an excessively heavy workload. The captain worked twelve hours the same day, which is normal in the industry. No injuries There were 34 passengers on board the ferry on Sunday afternoon – mainly tourists on a fjord cruise in the Lysefjorden. No one was seriously injured during the collision, but minor injuries and small cuts were reported among the passengers. – But it is, as you can see in the video, a powerful “pull 16”, so to speak. I have not come across anything like this before, says general manager Lars André Rødne of Rødne Fjord Cruise. MF “Skånevik” docks at Helle on Monday. Photo: Borghild Aasen Kvæven / news See video clip from the incident in the window at the top of the article. The video shows the passengers clinging to seats and tables on the ferry while the collision takes place. The tourist ferry must have had a speed of 11 knots during the collision, according to Stavanger Aftenblad. Photo: Screenshot – I have a great deal of understanding for the passengers who have spoken to the media that it was a dramatic experience, says Dag Inge of the Aarhus Maritime Directorate, and continues: – Even though the vessel did not have a very high speed, it was still quite a loud bang and was probably experienced as very frightening for those on board. Everything must be arranged It is the shipping company Fjord X in Sogndal that owns and operates MF “Skånevik”. They are also the ones who have to answer for the orders from the Norwegian Maritime Directorate. Arne Glenn Flåten in Fjord X tells news that the shipping company must now go through the deviations that the directorate has pointed out, before they can make any comment. Two of the eleven deviations are linked to physical damage to the hull as a result of the collision. MF “Skånevik” is now docked near Forsand in Ryfylke, where these damages are being repaired. But the vessel cannot be put into service again until all eleven deviations have been rectified and approved by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate. – It is a very serious situation, asserts Aarhus. Today’s scheduled departures have been cancelled, and general manager Lars A. Rødne does not know when it can be put into operation again. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø Dag Inge Aarhus is director of communications at the Norwegian Maritime Directorate. Photo: Gisle Jørgensen The police are investigating the case The police are also conducting an initial investigation and questioning of those involved. Sjur Stava, acting section leader for Nordsjø Miljø in the Sør-West police district, tells news that the police are trying to do as much as possible over the next few days. – We have taken some questions, but there are more to come, says Stava. – What forms of reaction are relevant in this type of case? – In this case, we are talking about the Ship Safety Act and suspected violations of the rules on navigation. But we also look at possible underlying causes, such as routines and training on board the vessel, says Stava and continues: – The primary incident is that the ship slammed into the wall. In that case, a subpoena may be relevant for the master or the shipping company that is responsible, but it is currently too early to say. MF “Skånevik” from 2020 until 15 June this year as an emergency solution for tourists and the tourism industry in Lysefjorden. After great pressure from tourists, the actors Lysefjorden Utvikling, Rødne and Fjord X entered into an agreement to operate a tourist ferry in Lysefjorden for the summer. MF “Skånevik” was built in 1967 and in 2006 was protected by the National Archives.
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Police investigate ferry crash in Lysefjord – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
