Hurtigruten’s MS Nordlys is now stabilized and being cleared of personal belongings and cargo after a fire was detected onboard on Thursday September 15th 2011. At the time of the incident, MS Nordlys had 207 guests from 16 nations on board. All guests were evacuated safely from the ship into Ålesund, Norway, but tragically, two crew members were killed. Two more members of crew currently remain in hospital. There were 55 crew members in total on board.

All guests have now departed from Ålesund and are headed home.

For those who have not yet had their personal belongings returned, Hurtigruten will arrange for these to be forwarded to their home addresses. Hurtigruten’s support team will continue to give support in Ålesund until all guests return home.

All departures of MS Nordlys have been cancelled until Mid-October. The winter schedule from 1st November to 31st December 2011 will not be affected by the accident as MS Nordlys was not put up for service during this period.

Hurtigruten wishes to thank all those involved during the last few days for their impressive contribution. Guests, for their great patience and understanding and crew members along with rescue workers, for their professionalism and courage during the rescue operation.

Hurtigruten is a world leader in expedition cruising and is represented in Australia by Discover the World Marketing.