MS Nordlys (1993)
The Nordlys at the exit of Molde
IMO no. 9048914
The Nordlys (Norwegian for " Northern Lights " ) is a passenger and ro-ro ship of the Hurtigruten ASA and is used on the Hurtigruten route to the coast of Norway in regular service.
History
Construction and commissioning
The Nordlys was laid in early 1993 as a sister ship to the previously built Kong Harald for the Norwegian shipping company Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap A / S ( TFDS ) in the People Werft GmbH in Stralsund Yard No. 102 at Kiel. The ship was launched on August 13, 1993 by the stack and was baptized on 22 March 1994 by Kirsti Kolle Grøndahl the Norwegian politician in Oslo. She is the second ship of the company that bears that name. The names predecessor was built on the Danish Aalborg Shipyard and put into service in 1951. She was until 1983 on the Hurtigruten in use, then changed hands several times the owner and sank May 31, 1988 northwest of Texel.
Use
After the commissioning of the Nordlys ran out to a short cruise, which led, among other things, Stavanger, Newcastle and London. On April 4, 1994, she officially adopted the line service on the Hurtigruten from Bergen to Kirkenes.
When the shipping company TFDS ran into financial difficulties, the Nordlys was handed over to the company Kirberg Shipping KS in June 2003. TFDS but a buy-back option after 10 and 15 years was granted. As part of the merger of Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap A / S ( TFDS ) and the Ofotens above Vester Aalen Dampskibsselskap A / S ( OVDS ) in March 2006 took over the Hurtigruten ASA operation of the ship.
Due to renewed financial problems and low utilization of the vessels in the winter half year, the Nordlys was launched at the beginning of the winter season 2008/ 09 for a short time in Åndalsnes. In the period from 28 January to 14 March 2009, it replaced the Richard With the road map, which had to be repaired after damage in a shipyard. On April 4, 2009 Nordlys went back in to the scheduled service.
Incident
On the northbound trip from Bergen to Kirkenes, it came on the morning of September 15, 2011 just prior to the application in Ålesund to a fire in the engine room, which was not due, contrary to initial reports on an explosion and was discovered at 09:17 clock.
Some of the 207 passengers was evacuated by lifeboats, the other passengers were able to leave the ship on the quay. The Nordlys was made to extinguish the fire on the outer pier of the port of Ålesund. Due to the thick smoke had parts of downtown to be temporarily evacuated. According to the Norwegian police two crew members were killed in the accident, 16 people were slightly injured by fumes.
When pulling the ship to the wharf was created by the extended stabilizers a 38 centimeter long crack in the hull, penetrated by the water into the ship, so it got flip side and threatened to capsize. Only the next day succeeded Dutch technicians through the use of five pumps to reduce the heeling more than 22 degrees and stabilize the ship. The ship was towed for repairs in dry dock of the first Fiskerstrand Shipyard (Sula ).
The cause of the fire is not a sufficient permanently installed fuel pump into account, which had been a few days previously replaced. The leaking fuel could ignite on hot engine parts. Due to lack of air, then the emergency generator failed and for the same reason was overheating and the main engine stopped then. The Nordlys is first returned to five-month dry-dock period 20 March 2012 back into service, bringing passengers northbound from Bergen to Kirkenes.
Machinery and drive
The diesel- mechanical drive system of the Nordlys consists of the two medium-speed (speed: 500 rpm ) Six -cylinder, four -stroke diesel engines MaK 6M552C, each acting through reduction gear ( Lohmann GCK 755 ) to a Kamewa controllable-pitch propellers. The power supply of the vessel via two shaft generators with an electrical output of 2,875 kVA. In addition, the ship has two 1,500 kVA generators that are powered by diesel engines of the diesel Bergen KRG -8. The emergency generator provides 265 kVA. As Manöverierhilfe two transverse thrusters are installed in the bow. In order to reduce rolling motions Nordlys is equipped with a pair of stabilizer fins.
Equipment
The Nordlys can accommodate up to 691 passengers on day trips. It has 475 beds in 226 cabins ( including 17 inside cabins ). Three of the outside cabins are wheelchair accessible. The 45 car parking spaces are accessed via a hydraulically operated loading ramp on the port side.
Information accessible to the passengers onboard facilities whose names refer to astronomical topics include the restaurant " Stjernesalen ", the bistro ( "Aurora ") and the Panorama and Observation lounge ( "Orion" and "Sirius" ) with bars on deck 7 In addition, passengers are a small fitness room and a sauna.
Gallery
Aft of the Nordlys
The Nordlys at the Arctic Circle
The Nordlys in the port of Hammerfest
The Nordlys at the entrance to Bergen