The crew of seven were evacuated after the 2,900-tonne cargo ship “Optimar” went aground in strong winds and heavy sea in Norway. The ship was transporting salmon feed.
The accident happened close to Averoy in the county of More og Romsdal, reports the Norwegian newspaper Tidens Krav.
Sigmund Kaplanski is a crew member of the rescue boat “Erik Bye”.
He said they were notified that the cargo ship ran into problems around 06.00 AM local time today. The rescue boat immediately left Kristiansund to help out.
The ship had around 1,300-1,400 tonnes of cargo on board, sources reported.
At 11.45 AM local time, Kaplanski said to the Norwegian state channel NRK, that they had started to pull the boat back to Kristiansund.
“The weather was really bad, so it was not an easy task, but we managed. Now the weather has started to calm down a bit, said Kaplanski.
In Kristiansund there will be technical examinations of the boat.
“Optimar” is owned by Berge Rederi. The company’s main office is located at the island Hitra in Norway.
According to newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv, the boat transports salmon feed between Vesteralen in the North and Karmoy in Southwest.
