Local authorities continued to fend off criticism that they were woefully unprepared to deal with the stricken tanker Fjord Champion. Fire broke out on board the Norwegian-controlled vessel late Friday night as it was sailing from England to Germany.

The tanker wasn't carrying any cargo, but was loaded with heavy bunker fuel. Its crew tried to battle the blaze but had to give up and be airlifted off the ship after an all-night drama.

The vessel, meanwhile, had lost power and drifted closer and closer to the Norwegian coast before grounding on an island off Søgne, a popular summer holiday area featuring a largely pristine archipelago.

It took 15 hours for the Norwegian authorities to get a fire-fighting vessel near the stricken tanker, as an environmental catastrophe loomed. Then they had to be careful not to pump so much water onto the vessel that it would sink.

The vessel was finally freed from its rocky perch and towed back out to sea, to a spot about 29 kilometers southeast of Mandal.

"We feel we have control over the situation now, but are still on alert in case of any leakage," Ole Arvesen of the Norwegian coast guard told news bureau NTB on Monday. The 800 tons of bunkers on board the vessel still posed a serious concern.

Norwegian fisheries minister Svein Ludvigsen dismissed criticism that preparedness levels for such an accident were inadequate. "We have good people and good equipment, but we can never prevent this kind of accident from happening," he said.

The vessel is controlled by Champion Tankers of Norway, which said it would repatriate the vessel's mostly Indian crew. They lost all their possessions during the drama at sea and were temporarily housed in a hotel in Kristiansand over the weekend.