The Norwegian "MS Nordlys" passenger ship, which caught fire on Thursday morning in her voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes, continued to list and is now in danger of capsizing overnight.

Rescue workers are still trying hard on Friday morning to prevent the ill-fated ship, operated by the Hurtigurten company along Norway's western coast, from capsizing at the dock.

The situation was critical as the ship was now listing nearly 22 degrees at 9:00 a.m. on Firday after taking on too much water overnight, according to Norwegian media reports from Aalesund, where the ship managed to make it into port after the fire broke out in the engine room.

There was fear that the ship would topple over and sink, police said.

The pumping system of the ship was damaged in the fire. So pumps on land had to be used to clear water from inside the ship. But water gushed in were much more than being pumped out.

Divers plugged a hole in the hull on Thursday. But a new gush of seawater entered the ship later and it was not possible so far to locate where water was seeping in.

A crane was now being employed in a bid to keep the "MS Nordlys" stable.

The incident had already left two crew members dead and 16 others including three rescue workers injured and hospitalized.

No passengers were injured in the incident. But many of the 207 passengers evacuated safely from the ship had to leave their passports, mobile phones and other personal belongings on board and assistance had been promised by the shipping company.

Police in Aalesund said that it was not possible to send investigators on board of the ship to determine the cause of the fire as it was too dangerous to do so as the ship kept tilting.

Residents in downtown Aalesund were asked to take precautionary measures such as turning off ventilation systems and keeping windows closed as smoke from the ship covered some parts of the city.

Guests and staff from a Aalesund hotel close to the quay, where the ship docked, had to flee from the thick smoke generated by the fire. The hotel would remain closed for at least two days.

The ship, built in 1994 in Germany, was on a six-day voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes, a city on the most northeastern part of the country.

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