MV Viking Sky

Viking Sky is long overall, has a moulded beam of and draws of water at design draught. Her gross tonnage is 47,842, Like most modern cruise ships, Viking Sky has a diesel-electric propulsion system where an integrated power plant provides electricity for all onboard consumers ranging from the vessel's twin propellers to hotel functions such as lighting, air conditioning and electrical sockets in the passenger cabins. Her two interconnected but physically separated high-voltage switchboards are supplied by four alternators driven by MAN 32/44CR series medium-speed diesel engines. Each engine room houses one 9-cylinder 9L32/44CR engine rated at and one 12-cylinder 12V32/44CR engine producing each, a so-called "father and son" configuration. In addition, Viking Sky has a single Isotta Fraschini V1712T3 emergency diesel generator. each driving a six-bladed fixed variable-pitch propellers with a diameter of . This propulsion system gives Viking Sky a service speed of and maximum speed of . The ship's twin rudders feature Rolls-Royce's Promas system with streamlined propeller hubcaps and rudders that improve hydrodynamic performance. In addition, she has two bow thrusters and a single stern thruster for manoeuvering in ports. ==Career==

Construction Viking Sky is one of a series of cruise ships built by Fincantieri in Ancona, Italy, for Viking Ocean Cruises. , she has five sister ships in operation (Viking Star, Viking Sea, Viking Sun, Viking Orion and Viking Jupiter), one under construction (Viking Venus), five on order (Viking Tellus and four yet unnamed vessels) and four more planned with deliveries spanning to 2027. The ship was originally planned to set sail in 2016 as Viking Sea, but delivery was delayed until 2017. She was christened in June 2017 at Tromsø. Her port of registry is Bergen. with high waves. There were 1,373 people on board – 915 passengers and 458 crew. triggering an automatic shutdown of all engines — which can only run without lubricant at most for several few minutes without incurring major damage. With the ship drifting toward land, The ships lubricant alarms failed to engage. Shore dispatched Rescue boats were dispatched but returned return due to the rough conditions. The ship dropped Anchors, while tugboats attempted unsuccessfully to attach towlines. Six rescue helicopters were sent to the scene; pairs of helicopters operated simultaneously, hoisting passengers from the bow and stern of the ship. "The ship only has one working engine and the winds are rather strong. Therefore we would prefer to have the passengers on land rather than on board the ship," police chief Tor Andre Franck said. After about five hours, 100 passengers had been evacuated, with at least four helicopters involved in the airlift. "It will take time to evacuate everyone," Franck said. The incident occurred mid-afternoon off the Møre og Romsdal area of western Norway. One expert said that the ship had been around from grounding. Around 19:00, two helicopters were diverted to rescue the crew of the cargo ship '', which had been going to the aid of Viking Sky'' and also suffered an engine failure. The Hagland crew bailed into the sea and were picked up by helicopters in the dark. Sky's anchors were released (one pulled on board, one left behind) to move the ship further offshore. During the 30 helicopter trips, 479 people had been airlifted off the ship. Viking Sky went to Molde under her own power but attached to a tug, as Sky's anchors were no longer operable, and reached Molde at 16:30 on 24 March. On 27 March, she arrived at a shipyard in Kristiansund for repairs, and its next cruise was cancelled. The Accident Investigation Board Norway opened an investigation, including why the ship sailed despite storm warnings having been issued, with the corresponding agencies of the United Kingdom and United States participating. Norwegian police conducted a separate inquiry which included both Lloyd's Register of Shipping and the engine makers. On 27 March, a safety message was issued asking operators to check their lubricating oil systems, stating that the reason for the engine failure was that the lubricating oil pumps stopped running due to boat movement which caused problems with oil flow. In 2024, media reported on contents in the report from the Accident Investigation Board; the report said that the ship should not have left Tromsø while the ship had technical problems. ==References==