Last night, the Frisian sailing ship Noorderlicht, owned by Swan Expeditions, received assistance from the Norwegian Coast Guard in relocating its passengers. The ship ran aground in a Norwegian fjord around 02:30. After inspection, there appeared to be no damage.

The ship was right next to the shore, so all passengers and crew could simply walk ashore with a rubber boat in between. From there, they were taken to a hotel by a boat of the Norwegian Coast Guard. There was no moment of unease or tension. It was a well-controlled precautionary measure.

As time passed, the ship tilted more and more because of the descending water, and the heater no longer worked properly. Due to the comfort and the continuity of the Masterskip educational program, all 14 to 17-year-old students were taken to a hotel nearby.

The captain and first mate remained on board and prepared the ship to become loose and continue the journey. The parents of the trainees were informed. They also hope that the journey can continue soon.

So far, there is no directly identifiable cause. This will be investigated in the coming period.

The atmosphere among the passengers and the students is good. Everyone hopes that the sailing education program can continue their travels soon.

The educational program is known, among other things, for the heroic journey that 30 students made during the outbreak of the corona pandemic. The trainees, as the students on board are called, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean for 6 weeks to arrive safely in the Netherlands. Read more about that here (Dutch): Laatste loodjes van een bijzondere Corona-wereldreis.