Video shows a dramatic helicopter rescue from a cargo ship being thrown around on rough seas off Norway

• Footage shows a crew of 12 being rescued by helicopter from a cargo ship in distress.
• The Eemslift Hendrika was drifting in the Norwegian Sea after its cargo shifted and tilted the vessel.
• As of Wednesday, the ship was still adrift, now without crew, awaiting more rescue efforts.

A video shows Norwegian coast guard rescuers air-lifting 12 crew members from a cargo ship in distress.

Footage from the Kystverket, the Norwegian national coastal administration, shows how the crew were airlifted by helicopter from the deck of the Eemslift Hendrik.

Some could be picked up directly from the deck, while others had to jump into the sea before they could be saved because of the rough conditions.

The commercial ship sent a distress signal after its cargo shifted in stormy weather. The ship was tilting at about 30 degrees, Hovedredningssentralen, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of Southern Norway, said in a tweet on Monday.

The Eemslift Hendrika is a boat for carrying other boats, and can be seen loaded with several other vessels in photographs. The Hendrika is a Dutch ship operated by Starclass Yacht Transport.

After the rescue it was left adrift with its cargo but no crew, headed for the western coast of Norway. Authorities hope that a tow boat can catch up to it before it hits land and drag it to safety.

The boat carries 350 tonnes of heavy oil and 50 tonnes of diesel, Reuters reported.

Authorities are concerned about an oil spill if the ship hits land, the Kystverket said in a tweet on Tuesday.

"As of now, it is just over a day until that #eemslifthendrika hits land, but it is likely that a tow will be connected before that time," the Kystverket said in a tweet on Tuesday.

A tug boat has arrived to the scene, the coast guard has said, and the rescue operation is expected to be carried out after noon Wednesday, Reuters reported, as the weather should be calmer.

What these rescue operations call clement weather is all relative. Today in a tweet, Kystverket described better weather as being waves between 10 to 25 feet, stiff gales, and snowy weather.