Hurtigruten’s cruise ship Kong Harald (1993/11,204gt, pictured) ran aground just before midnight on 4 March at the entrance to Trollfjord in Norway. The ship had to wait for high tide before she was able to free herself, and then proceeded to Svolvaer, where her 258 passengers were disembarked. The remainder of the round trip was cancelled, and Kong Harald went to the Fiskarstrand shipyard in Ålesund for dry-docking and repairs to her hull.
In January another of the company’s ships, Vesteralen (1983/6,261gt), hit and effectively demolished the terminal walkway in Bergen, while she was approaching the berth at too high a speed. Reports suggest that the engines failed to respond to commands from the bridge and the vessel was not slowed sufficiently as she approached her berth. Damage to the ship was minor.
