Cruise Ship Is Being Towed After Rogue Wave Struck

North Sea water entered bridge of the Maud, taking power down
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 22, 2023 2:50 PM CST
Rogue Wave Hits Cruise Ship in North Sea, Requiring a Tow
North Sea waves   (Getty/Gunter Kremer)

A rogue wave knocked out the power Thursday on a cruise ship in the North Sea, disabling the ship's navigation system and requiring it to be towed. No serious injuries were reported among the 266 passengers and 131 crew members, USA Today reports. After conducting safety checks and assessing the weather forecast, a spokesperson said the ship's owner changed the Maud's destination; it had been headed from Florø, Norway, to Tilbury, England. A Danish rescue official said Friday that a civil rescue company's vessel was able to connect a line and "is towing it slowly towards Bremerhafen in Germany," per Reuters.

The expedition cruise ship's operator—HX, part of Norway's Hurtigruten Group—said it's making arrangements for the passengers to travel from there. Water entered the bridge, temporarily taking down the power system, about 160 miles off Denmark's west coast and about 200 miles from the east coast of Britain. Winds grounded flights in parts of the UK on Thursday, putting a stop to train and Scottish ferry services, per the AP. Flights from Britain to the continent were being affected Friday, as well. Rogue waves, which are twice the size of others in the area, are unpredictable, the National Ocean Service says, because they "often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves." (Passengers on a cruise ship hit by a storm last month thought that was it.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X