Norwegian cruise ship loses ability to navigate after rogue wave hits
A Norwegian cruise ship lost the ability to navigate after a rogue wave crashed into the vessel Thursday, cruise company HX said in a statement.
The MS Maud lost power after the wave hit as the ship was sailing toward Tilbury, United Kingdom, from Florø, Norway, according to HX, a unit of Norway’s Hurtigruten Group.
No serious injuries were sustained by passengers or crew members, HX said. Reuters reported that the 266 passengers and 131 crew members are all safe, citing the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.
The condition of the ship is still stable, according to HX.
The rogue wave shattered windows on the ship’s bridge, which caused water to enter the vessel and resulted in a power outage, according to Reuters.
“There is no power on the ship. The main engine is functioning but the navigation systems and radars are not,” a spokesperson for the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre told Reuters.
Due to a lack of navigational abilities, the ship had to be steered manually from the engine room, Reuters reported, with support vessels from a civil rescue company helping to navigate until the ship could be towed to port.
HX said in the statement that the ship’s crew conducted “thorough safety checks and technical assessments” and that further checks were underway to ensure the ship could continue on course.