The Norwegian captain of the ill-fated ‘Beserk’ expedition is being hunted by New Zealand authorities as he allegedly makes his second attempt to reach Antarctica. Read the full story

A Danish family of five has finally been freed by Somali pirates who had been holding them captive since February. According to a BBC report, a ransom of USD three million (EUR 2.1m) was paid for their release. Read the full story

The search for a Norwegian ship and her three missing crew members has been called off by rescue authorities in New Zealand after a week-long hunt for survivors. Read the full story

The king without a kingdom, Constantine II of Greece, is currently in Iceland. He arrived yesterday and will stay for the whole weekend. Read the full story

The world’s biggest sailing ship is currently on its way to Iceland, according to Russian news website, Ria Novosti. The ship is called Sedov and is a three-masted barque. Read the full story

At the end of 2008 there were 1,529 fishing ships registered with the Icelandic Maritime Administration, meaning their number had reduced by 113 from the previous year, according to figures from Statistics Iceland.

The number of motorboats was 769 and their combined weight was 86,390 gross tonnes. Read the full story

On Saturday, local authorities in the Norwegian town of Forsand were informed that a massive avalanche had occurred at Pulpit Rock, a popular rock formation in Lysefjord. The mayor of Forsand, Ole Tome Guse, has asked locals to stay away from the area until the stability of the rock can be assessed. Read the full story

It may have been built in 1937, but the Oslo-based ship Christian Radich still had the legs to win the first stage of Norway’s annual Tall Ship’s Race, according to Aftenposten. The three-masted sailing vessel crossed the line ahead of its rivals at Maloy, on the west coast of Norway, after sailing from Liverpool.

Einar Corwin, director of the foundation that operates the Christian Radich, said the victory was important for both the ship and her crew. The Russian ship Mir arrived at Maloy second, followed by the Alexander von Humboldt from Germany. The other two Norwegian tall ships competing in this year’s race, the Sorlandet of Kristiansand and Statsraad Lehmkuhl of Bergen, finished the first stage in sixth and ninth place respectively.

The tall ships will remain moored in Maloy’s harbour for a few days until they head down the Norwegian coast to the city of Bergen. From here, the second stage of the Tall Ships’ Race will take them to Den Helder in the Netherlands on August 12.