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| The Nordlys// (c) 2011 Hurtigruten |
Hurtigruten reported Monday that the Nordlys was stabilized on Sunday and is now being cleared of personal belongings and cargo.
"We are happy to announce that all guests will leave Ålesund for their homes Monday as planned," the line said in a statement. Hurtigruten said that effort today involved 75 guests.
Hurtigruten will forward any belongings still being retrieved from the vessel to the guest's home address. The line said its support staff would remain in Ålesund until all guests have boarded their flights back home.
The line has cancelled all departures of Nordlys until mid-October. Fortunately for the line, the ship was not previously scheduled to be in service from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31.
Today's statement said: "Hurtigruten wishes to thank deeply all involved for their impressive contribution during the last days -- guests for their great patience and understanding, crew members and rescue workers for their professionalism and courage during the rescue operation."
Authorities are still investigating the fire which broke out onboard Nordlys on Sept. 15. The ship was sailing near Alesund at the time of the fire. Guests were safely evacuated in lifeboats or disembarked when the ship reached its dock in Alesund.
Nordlys had 207 guests from 16 nations onboard at the time of the fire. That included 53 passengers from the U.S. All guests are safe.
Tragically, though, two crew members were killed. Two other crew members remain hospitalized. Fifty-five crew members were onboard at the time of the fire.
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