“You have a newborn baby. Now you jump, dammit!”

The cargo boat MS Fisktrans – and the crew of six – is traveling fully loaded from Lødingen bound for Bodø on 24 January 2017.

Chief Mate Christine Moller and the rest of the crew know that there is bad weather ahead, but feel that it is manageable.

– We knew that the weather was bad, but no worse than that it was perfectly possible to throw loose. We were fully loaded, and then the boat moves more calmly in the sea. I checked the weather forecast before we left, and there was a small storm in the forecast. So we knew it was going to be a bumpy trip to Bodø, says Christine Møller.

The rudder locks

However, the storm will be bigger than what has been reported. There is strong wind and rain, and the waves are high.

Around five o’clock in the morning – while the boat fights against the forces of the weather outside Steigen – the “No rudder response” alarm chimes. This means that the rudder does not respond.

It is now impossible to navigate the boat – and there are many scary reefs in the sea area.

– It is perhaps one of the worst alarms you can get in this kind of weather and the waters we were in. I would perhaps dare to say that it was the worst imaginable conditions when we got that alarm, says Møller.

Captain Thomas Torrisen will immediately start troubleshooting to see if the problem can be fixed. But all attempts to gain control of the helm are in vain. The anchor is released, but the storm means that it is unable to attach itself to the seabed.

– Nothing worked. And we were fully loaded, so it was difficult to hold the boat in such weather, says Christine Møller.

The boat is now drifting towards land, and the waves are between eight and ten meters high. The Fisktrans crew realizes that they must call for a rescue helicopter.

Moving out from Bodø

330 Squadron in Bodø moves out. But they also struggle with the violent storm. They wear night goggles while flying, but the heavy rain makes them have little effect. They see very little.

27 minutes after departure, they arrive at the freighter. The helicopter is well aware of the forces of nature that are at work.

– I see that they are struggling to keep the helicopter in the air. And the thought strikes me more than once that they have their own safety to think about, says Møller.

The original plan to hoist a rescuer down on deck is impossible to carry out due to the high waves. Therefore, a new plan is made: The six on board must jump into the sea, one by one. Then a rescuer – attached to a cable from the helicopter – will pick them up and into the helicopter.

The Fisktrans crew is dumbfounded by the rescue plan of 330 Squadron.

– Getting that message was a bit tough. It became a different matter then. There was a different atmosphere between us. There was no panic, but it became quiet, says Møller.

Captain Thomas Torrisen refuses to leave the boat, but understands at the same time that it is necessary.

– Whether you are a skipper, a sailor or whatever, that is absolutely the last thing you want. Then everything else must be tried, he says.

Christine Møller feels a terror inside her as she puts on her survival suit and gets ready to jump into the waves.

– When we went down the stairs to go out on deck, I remember saying to Thomas: “I don’t dare”. But no one answered me. And I realized right away that it was no use. There is only one possibility here.

The boat is now 180 meters from shore and drifting at three knots, just over five kilometers an hour. Everyone knows it’s urgent.

The evacuation begins

The first to jump is a 19-year-old apprentice. The next one is Christine Møller. She knows that if something goes wrong, it could be the end of her life.

– It sounds awful, but it was almost like accepting that life was over. I have this chance and I can take it to try. But you don’t really see past that point, she says.

Møller is now really noticing how big the waves are.

– When I was lying in the water, there were two wave crests. They were so high that I looked down at the boat and those standing on deck. And Fisktrans measured 14 meters from the water’s surface upwards. It was extreme conditions, I dare say.

Møller jumps into the sea and waits to be rescued.

– It felt quite a long time to lie there and wait. I remember the rescuer got a hold of my foot and then he lost his grip. And then I thought: “There was my chance. And now it’s over.”

Fortunately, the rescuer gets hold of Møller again, and manages to hoist her into the helicopter. Her biggest concern now is the four left on deck. They are not just her colleagues – they are her friends.

Two more people are then rescued in the helicopter.

“Now you jump, dammit!”

Two people are now left on deck: Captain Thomas Torrisen and sailor Daniel Kristiansen.

– Daniel said to me: “Thomas, you have a newborn baby at home. Now you jump, dammit.” Then you tend to think about what you could lose if this doesn’t go as it should, says Torrisen.

The evacuation of Torresen and Kristiansen is successful, and everyone can breathe a sigh of relief when they sit in the helicopter.

– When the system operator entered the helicopter, it was an enormous relief, says Møller.

All six will be flown to Bodø in good condition.

Fisktrans sank

Fisktrans, which was built in 1952, did not have such a happy ending. The cargo boat drifted uncontrollably all night in the storm, and suffered massive damage to the hull.

On the morning of January 25, it sank to the bottom.

The Norwegian Accident Investigation Board for Transport (SHT) investigated the wreck, and i the report their report states, among other things, that “the crew had problems keeping the vessel on the right course because the rudder had locked”, and “it has not been possible for SHT to determine why the rudder stopped working”.

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