BERGEN, Jan 20: Rescuers called off a search for survivors from a capsized cargo ship in icy waters off the Norwegian coast on Tuesday, leaving most of the 18 seamen presumed dead trapped inside the hull.

The confirmed death toll rose to three after one more body was found early on Tuesday. Another 15 of the mainly Filipino crew are believed dead a day after the unexplained North Sea accident in a shallow fjord a short distance from shore.

Twelve survived - three miraculously after being trapped for almost seven hours inside the hull of the upturned vessel "Rocknes" near the western port of Bergen.

Of the dead, 16 were Filipinos, one was German and one Norwegian, all between 26 and 56 years old, police said. "We consider that there is no longer a possibility of finding more survivors," said Erik Walle, spokesman for rescue services "We are now starting to look for the bodies."

Late on Monday, the trapped men had been heard knocking and shouting from inside, prompting rescuers to cut a hole in the hull. Crew members passed scribbled notes through a small opening, one reading: "Hurry up, my friend is dying."

OXYGEN RUNS OUT: "There is not enough oxygen left inside the wreck for anyone to breathe," said Guttorm Brattebo, head of emergency services at a hospital that treated survivors for hypothermia and minor injuries.