Eight injured in a ferry crash on Hovedøya in Oslo

A total of eight passengers were injured, of which two serious, when the passenger ferry «Oslo XI» crashed into the quay on Hovedøya outside Oslo.

The police received the first report from the fire service at ten past five pm on Saturday afternoon.

“Both the police and the fire service were dispatched immediately. We established a reception apparatus at Vippetangen. The two, who were considered as seriously injured, were transported by boat from Hovedøya to Vippetangen, onwards in an ambulance to Ullevål Hospital,” Operations Manager of Oslo Police District, Vidar Pedersen, tells NTB.

The six others receive treatment by ambulance personnel on site.

The AIBN is notified

By half five, several lifeboats and an air ambulance arrived at the ferry port on Hovedøya, according to an NTB employee who is present on the spot.

The air ambulance was dispatched but merely stand-by. This, as the two seriously injured were transported to Vippetangen by boat.

“There were 134 passengers on the ferry. What appears to be the main hypothesis, is that the ferry was heading towards the quay when it lost engine power. It, therefore, lacked the possibility to reverse the trust,” Pedersen informs.

Both the Accident Investigation Board (AIBN) and the Norwegian Maritime Directorate are notified of the accident.

The extent of the damage to the ferry is not yet known. The police, however, informs that it is able to manoeuvre under own steam.

At speed

There was a long queue on the quay when the incident occurred, as several were waiting for the ferry coming from the city centre.

“The ferry came in at some speed, so we backed away a little. It had a higher speed than usual before thundering into the quay,” an eyewitness tells NTB.

According to the eyewitness, it was quiet on the quay, but chaotic on the ferry.

Ferry traffic resumed

Just before 6 pm, several other ferries arrived at the quay, ferrying passengers to Oslo City.

“There are many inhabitants who have spent the day on the islands in the Oslo Fjord. There are, however, several ferries that are in the process of transporting them,” Operations Manager of Oslo Police District, Vidar Pedersen, rounds off.

The ferry «Oslo XI» has a capacity of 236 passengers. There were only 134 on board when it was on its way from Rådhuskaia in Oslo City Centre to Hovedøya.