An unmanned Dutch cargo ship may be in danger of capsizing in heavy seas off the coast of Norway after its crew was evacuated following a distress call from the vessel.

The Norwegian Coastal Administration said Tuesday they have dispatched a coast guard ship to inspect the situation with the Eemslift Hendrika, which is listing and afloat without engine power on the Norwegian Sea 130 kilometers (80 miles) off the city of Alesund.

Video from the scene showed how the Norwegian Rescue Coordination Center evacuated some of the ship's 12 crew members by helicopters after they had jumped into the sea. The ship issued a distress call late Monday.

Maritime authorities said their focus now was to figure out how to stabilize the vessel so it wouldn’t sink while trying make sure the ship doesn’t crash into the shore. Surveillance aircraft were patrolling the area.

“We are optimistic but at the same time there are 15-meter (49-foot) high waves and strong winds. The weather conditions are extreme and the safety of personnel will always come first,” emergency director Hannes-Petter Mortensholm at the Norwegian Coastal Administration told the VG newspaper.

Norwegian public broadcaster NRK said the ship lost power in its main engine late Monday night. If the vessel sinks, Norwegian authorities are concerned that diesel and fuel oil could spill from its tanks.

Registered in the Netherlands, the Eemslift Hendrika was built in 2015. Its cargo was not immediately known.

Share:
More In Business
Tech leader who navigated the internet’s 90s crash weighs in on AI
Former Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers learned all about technology’s volatile highs and lows as a veteran of the internet’s early boom days during the late 1990s and the ensuing meltdown that followed the mania. And now he is seeing potential signs of the cycle repeating with another transformative technology in artificial intelligence. Chambers is trying take some of the lessons he learned while riding a wave that turned Cisco into the world's most valuable company in 2000 before a crash hammered its stock price and apply them as an investor in AI startups. He recently discussed AI's promise and perils during an interview with The Associated Press.
Tesla sales jump after months of boycotts
Tesla reported a surprise increase in sales in the third quarter as the electric car maker likely benefited from a rush by consumers to take advantage of a $7,500 credit before it expired on Sept. 30. The company reported Thursday that sales in the three months through September rose 7% compared to the same period a year ago. The gain follows two quarters of steep declines as people turned off by CEO Elon Musk’s foray into right-wing politics avoided buying his company’s cars and even protested at some dealerships. Sales rose to 497,099 vehicles, compared with 462,890 in the same period last year.
Load More