A distress call was issued off the coast of Alesund, Norway, on April 5 after a Dutch cargo ship shifted during a storm. The weight and weather threatened to capsize the ship.
The past couple months have not been kind to ships. Just about a week after the massive Ever Given container ship was freed from its wedged position in the Suez Canal, another cargo vessel is capturing global attention.
The Eemslift Hendrika Dutch cargo ship was in danger of capsizing off the coast of Norway after an intense storm shifted its cargo onboard and left the ship badly listed early this week. The vessel was unmanned following the dangerous evacuation of the entire crew on Monday but remained in dangerous conditions through Thursday.
The list of a ship is the angle at which the ship either leans or tilts, to either port or starboard. It is caused by the cargo’s distribution of weight being uneven. In the case of the Eemslift Hendrika, that cargo is multiple smaller boats on its deck, Reuters reported.
On early Thursday morning, The Associated Press reported that the vessel was successfully controlled by a joint rescue operation from Norway and the Netherlands. The cargo ship is slowly being towed to the Norwegian coastal town of Alesund.
Of the 12 crew members, eight were airlifted into a helicopter, but the last four were forced to jump into the raging sea due to the waves that were rocking the boat as well as the severe list. Dramatic footage from the rescue teams captured the members jumping into the sea before being rescued from the rough water.
The four men who had to jump off initially stayed onboard the vessel in an effort to stabilize the ship after the initial eight members were rescued, but they had to bail once conditions worsened. According to the Daily Mail, one crew member was in the hospital with injuries.
Officials said the ship listed between 15 and 30 degrees to starboard into heavy seas, and capsizing fears have grown each day with the ongoing storminess. One of those smaller boats on deck reportedly fell into the ocean due to the storminess, helping reduce the list which was originally between 40 and 50 degrees.
The ship on Wednesday was floating without engine power on the Norwegian Sea, about 80 miles away from the coast.
The major worries associated with a potential capsizing are due to the diesel and fuel oil that could spill from its tanks. The Guardian reported that the ship contains 350 cubic meters of heavy fuel oil, 75 cubic meters of diesel and 10 cubic meters of lubricating oil.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty, who focuses on international forecasting, said the weather at the time of the distress call on April 5 can be directly blamed for the calamity that has followed. The same system that would wreak havoc on the vessel also brought a cold blast over much of Europe, he said.
“There was a strong northerly wind caused by that same storm system, and it caused large swells across the North Sea,” Douty said.
Waves were measured as high as 37 feet in the area, while computer forecast models indicated even higher waves, over 48 feet, in the general area, according to AccuWeather Senior Weather Editor Jesse Ferrell. The WaveWatch III model also showed another buoy reporting 62 mph gusts and 35-foot waves, Ferrell added in a tweet.
Authorities were concerned about preventing the ship from not only sinking but also crashing into the shore, The AP reported.
As the ship is slowly towed to Norway, Douty said the weather in the immediate future may not fully cooperate.
“Another storm system can bring additional strong winds and rough seas on Thursday and Friday,” he said. “There may be a more prolonged stretch of calmer weather later in the weekend into early next week, but the region typically has unsettled weather, and long stretches of calm winds and light seas are hard to come by.”
