Norwegian Coast Guard Postpones Salvage of Abandoned Ship

Norwegian coast guard officials said Wednesday bad weather and rough seas have prompted them to postpone efforts to recover a Dutch cargo ship drifting off the coast of Norway following the evacuation of its crew earlier this week.

The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) said it had planned to approach the  Eemslift Hendrika with tugs and bring some of the crew back on board in hopes of getting the abandoned ship to port.   But officials said wind-driven waves 15 to 18 meters high made that plan impossible. Dutch and Norwegian salvage experts are now expected to try again Thursday. In a press release, NCA emergency director Hans Petter Mortensholm said, “Life and health are always the first priority during an incident like this, and it must be safe to carry out the rescue.” As of early Wednesday, the ship, which was outfitted to carry small yachts, was 74- to 94 kilometers from the Norwegian coastal city of Alesund. The coast guard responded to a distress call from the ship and used a helicopter to lift its crew to safety Monday.