Cruise ship OCEAN ATLANTIC was reported by somebody described as “concerned” to Norwegian Maritime Authorities, as having an accident during weekend Jul 16-17 in Svalbard Archipelago waters, Arctic, Norway. The ship is said to suffer hull breach, either as a result of grounding or iceberg contact. Crew sealed the breach and there were no signs or signals of danger for ship and for passengers. This incident nevertheless, wasn’t reported to authorities, and Norwegian Maritime Directorate considers failure to report as a serious safety violation. The ship was ordered to return to Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, escorted by CG ship. OCEAN ATLANTIC berthed at Longyearbyen late Jul 20, subject to inspection and investigation.
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