MS Kong Harald accidents and incidents

24 August 2021Propulsion / Power Loss

In the evening of August 24, 2021, the ship lost power/propulsion near Molde. The accident occurred while the vessel was navigating along the Hustadvika coast (Norway's Fraena municipality/Romsdal district/More og Romsdal county).

After losing its propulsion, the vessel started drifting dangerously towards the shore. Fortunately, after dropping both anchors it managed to stop drifting and maintain its position.

A mayday was sent out and a rescue operation was initiated. Eventually, the power was restored power to one of the main engines and the vessel continued under its own power toward Molde.

The ship was operating a regular northbound Norwegian Coastal Express voyage (Bergen to Kirkenes) and carrying a total of 308 passengers. No injuries were reported.

04 March 2013Ship Grounding

In the night on March 4, 2013, Hurtigruten's Kong Harald cruise ship ran aground while cruising at the entrance of Trollfjorden (an extremely narrow waterway) in Norway's Hadsel Municipality (Nordland County). Hurtigruten commented that its ships never cruise into Trollfjorden in the winter, but always navigate close to the fjord's mouth for the tourists to enjoy the unique scenery. At its entry point, Trollfjorden is just 70 m (230 ft) wide. The scenic cruising here is one of the Norwegian Coastal Voyage's highlights.

The grounding occurred just before midnight and was caused by a mistake made by the ship's Master (Captain Brynjar Ulvoy). The vessel sustained no major damages and injuries were not reported. Still, following the standard procedures, all passengers were woken up and ordered to assemble on open decks. The ship was carrying a total of 258 tourists (mainly from Germany and the UK) plus 57 crew. The grounding was due to maneuvering too close to the fjord's entrance.

The ship remained grounded (at a sandy bottom) for ~3 hours and was freed during high tide. To the scene were immediately dispatched two ships (1x Coast Guard, 1x search and rescue). A Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopter was standing by and ready to depart from Svolvaer's Helle Airport. At ~4 am (March 5) the cruise ship was cleared after military divers inspected the hull. After disembarking all passengers in Svolvaer (March 5), the ship was taken out of service and sent for repairs (minor bow damages) to a shipyard in Alesund.

April 2010Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

On April 14, 2010, was reported a Norovirus outbreak (gastrointestinal illness) with infected 11 passengers and crew (out of 410, or 2,7% of all). The incident occurred during 12-day Norwegian Fjords cruise. All sick suffered from Norovirus symptoms (stomach cramps, predominantly vomiting and diarrhoea) and were quarantined to their cabins for 48 hours.