MS Midnatsol
Encyclopedia
MS Midnatsol is a Hurtigruten
vessel built by Fosen mekaniske verksted in Rissa
, Norway
in 2003. It is the fourth ship to sail for Hurtigruten
to bear this name. She has a sister ship, which also sails for Hurtigruten
.
At 04:00 AM on the night of 14 December 2003 the ship was on a southbound course between Ålesund
and Måløy
when the main power supply failed and MS Midnatsol lost all engine power. The ship was approaching an underwater reef and the anchors were set out in an attempt to stop the drift, but the attempt failed. All 102 passengers were ordered to the lifeboat
s after an attempt to connect a towing hawser from another vessel also failed. The situation was very critical and MS Midnatsol sent a Mayday message. The ship was only 150 meters from shore when one of the anchors finally caught. Not long after, the crew managed to restart the main engines and the ship went on to Florø
. The cause of the engine stoppage was an overgrown inlet to the engine's coolant systems.
In August 2004, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation was recording aboard Midnatsol for the series Hurtigruten 365 . The recordings took place in one year, and the result was 20 episodes that were shown on television.
Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten or Hurtigruta is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway's western and northern coast. Sometimes referred to in English as Norwegian Coastal Express, Hurtigruten ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11...
vessel built by Fosen mekaniske verksted in Rissa
Rissa, Norway
Rissa is a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Fosen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Årnset...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in 2003. It is the fourth ship to sail for Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten or Hurtigruta is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway's western and northern coast. Sometimes referred to in English as Norwegian Coastal Express, Hurtigruten ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11...
to bear this name. She has a sister ship, which also sails for Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten or Hurtigruta is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway's western and northern coast. Sometimes referred to in English as Norwegian Coastal Express, Hurtigruten ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11...
.
At 04:00 AM on the night of 14 December 2003 the ship was on a southbound course between Ålesund
Ålesund
is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
and Måløy
Måløy
is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Vågsøy in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Måløy is located on the southeastern side of the island of Vågsøy, about northeast of the village of Holvik and about south of Raudeberg. The Måløybrua connects the town to the village of...
when the main power supply failed and MS Midnatsol lost all engine power. The ship was approaching an underwater reef and the anchors were set out in an attempt to stop the drift, but the attempt failed. All 102 passengers were ordered to the lifeboat
Lifeboat (shipboard)
A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
s after an attempt to connect a towing hawser from another vessel also failed. The situation was very critical and MS Midnatsol sent a Mayday message. The ship was only 150 meters from shore when one of the anchors finally caught. Not long after, the crew managed to restart the main engines and the ship went on to Florø
Florø
is a town and the administrative centre of Flora municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is also a former municipality that existed for just over 100 years. The town was founded on the Florelandet island between the Botnafjorden and Solheimsfjorden by royal decree in 1860. In...
. The cause of the engine stoppage was an overgrown inlet to the engine's coolant systems.
In August 2004, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation was recording aboard Midnatsol for the series Hurtigruten 365 . The recordings took place in one year, and the result was 20 episodes that were shown on television.