Evacuation halted as stricken Norway cruise ship on way to port

OSLO, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Evacuation of passengers by helicopters from a cruise ship with engine trouble off Norway's western coast was halted on Sunday as the ship was on its way to a port with three of its four engines in operation.

The cruise ship Viking Sky with 1,373 people on board sent out the mayday signal Saturday around 14:00 (1300 GMT) after having engine problems in the stormy weather at Hustadvika, a 19-km long section of coastline in Norway's western county of More og Romsdal.

Rescue services decided to evacuate passengers aboard by using five helicopters. As of 10:00 a.m. Sunday (0900 GMT), 479 people had been evacuated from the ship, according to the ship's operator Viking cruises.

The Viking Sky was now on its way to Molde, the administrative center of More og Romsdal, as it was being accompanied by two offshore supply ships and one tug assist vessel, Viking cruises said in a press release.

"There are currently 436 guests and 458 crew onboard," the cruise company said. "The 479 passengers who were airlifted from the vessel are currently on shore and arrangements have been made to fly them home, with the first passengers leaving today."

A total of 17 people have been transported to hospitals and at least three of them were described as having serious injuries, local channel TV 2 reported.

The Norway-registered cruise ship Viking Sky was on its way from Norway's northern city of Tromso to its southern city of Stavanger when the engine trouble took place, according to the website Marine Traffic.