“It’s correct that they have the same motor,” Hurtigruten chief executive Olav Fjell told newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) on Tuesday. “We have evaluated whether the fire on the Nordlys should have any consequences for these ships, but together with the supplier of the motor we have decided that the other ships can continue in normal traffic.”
“Given the indications we now have about what caused the fire, there’s no reason for any special measures,” Fjell added. “The motors have operated problem-free for 20 years and the maker has also delivered very many other motors.”
Sept.24 The Norwegian authorities are being urged to conduct immediate safety surveys on two sisterships. The Skaggerak Foundation says there is sufficient evidence to suspect that the Richard With and Kong Harald may suffer from the same problems as the Nordlys. The foundation has sent an open letter to the Norwegian authorities saying that there should be an investigation into the watertight compartments behind the stabiliser fins, the reason why an emergency generator did not automatically start, and how the CO2 fire extinguishing system may have been activated while there were still crew in the vicinity of the engine room.
