Rogue wave kills navigation system on cruise ship with nearly 400 on board as deadly storm hammers northern Europe

Table Of Content

• Heartbreaking video shows cruise ship passenger swimming, fishing with friends week before fatal jump
• Cruise News Recap: Carnival Tampering, Dining Changes, Evacuation
• Rogue wave kills navigation system on cruise ship with nearly 400 on board as deadly storm hammers northern Europe
• Carnival passengers recount ‘nightmare’ cruise as storm floods ship
• The MS Maud was hit by a 'rogue wave' en route to England from Norway
• Snow, rain and wind to batter UK this weekend with weather warnings issued
• 'This is England': Thameslink passenger's racist outburst before being removed from train

No serious injuries have been reported and the ship is considered in stable condition, though unable to navigate independently. The Hurtigruten expedition ship MS Maud was damaged by a rogue wave while sailing in the North Sea between Norway, Denmark, and the UK on Thursday, December 21, 2023. The ship, traveling under its own power, is currently sailing to Bremerhaven, Germany, for disembarkation, HX said in an updated statement Friday. "The situation is stable, the ship has propulsion and they are able to navigate the ship manually via emergency systems," the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said in a statement Friday local time. "Our team are working to arrange onward travel back home for guests onboard," a spokesperson for the company said. "The condition of the ship remains stable and the crew are able to sail under their own power," a spokesperson for HX said.

Heartbreaking video shows cruise ship passenger swimming, fishing with friends week before fatal jump

Cruise passenger describes moment rogue wave struck their ship - Business Insider

Cruise passenger describes moment rogue wave struck their ship.

Posted: Sat, 23 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Some repairs to crew quarters also delayed its departure over the weekend to return to the Bahamas. Some passengers complained to CNN and CBS News about a lack of communication from cruise staff as the ship was pitching about. Matthew Branham and his fiancée, Madison Davis, were lying by a Carnival Sunshine pool on Friday aboard a cruise returning to Charleston, S.C., from the Bahamas when an announcement came over the loudspeaker. The captain was expecting rougher weather that evening, but there was nothing to worry about. In Hamburg, the Elbe River flooded streets around the city's fish market, with water waist-high in places. German authorities warned of a storm surge of up to three meters (nearly 10 feet) or more above mean high tide on parts of the North Sea coast on Friday.

Cruise News Recap: Carnival Tampering, Dining Changes, Evacuation

At the ship’s current location, wind is reported at approximately 35 knots (40 mph / 65 kph). A rogue wave temporarily disabled a cruise ship in the North Sea, leaving the vessel adrift and unable to navigate. This is the terrifying moment a UK-bound cruise ship was smashed by a wave strong enough to knock its power out and send passengers sliding around. The ship’s condition “remains stable and the crew are able to sail under their own power,” they said in an emailed statement.

Rogue wave kills navigation system on cruise ship with nearly 400 on board as deadly storm hammers northern Europe

A Norwegian cruise ship with more than 250 passengers on board lost power on Thursday, Dec. 21, after the vessel encountered a rogue wave during a storm, the cruise company HX said. The ship, operated by HX, a cruise company owned by Norway's Hurtigruten Group, was about 120 miles from Denmark's west coast when the wave struck, Reuters reported. The wave's force shattered some of the ship's windows and caused it to tilt "pretty violently," passenger Elizabeth Lawrence told Business Insider. According to Fox Weather, a powerful storm off the southeastern coast of the US hit the Sunshine as it returned from a Memorial Day weekend trip to the Bahamas. The large waves, heavy rain, and strong winds rocked the ship, leaving some passengers sick and terrified. A Norwegian cruise ship sailing in the North Sea on Thursday lost its ability to navigate after it was hit by a rogue wave during a storm.

“The wave essentially hit us side-on and just exploded up over the top of the ship,” MacRae told The Post Friday. “Other passengers reported that the officer who hit the emergency alert was completely soaked. Satellite tracking data shows the 16,151-gross-ton cruise ship moving at just 2-3 knots (2-4 miles per hour / 4-6 kilometers per hour).

The ship, which belongs to cruise company HX, a unit of Norway’s Hurtigruten Group, left Floroe in Norway on Thursday and was due to arrive in Tilbury in the UK on Friday. The 266 passengers and 131 crew members were safe, according to the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. Meanwhile, another video captured some passengers who enjoyed some humor during the scary incident. Among the passengers were Brian Launder, 75, and his wife, Carole, who was celebrating her 70th birthday with their first-ever cruise, according to the outlet. The boat has now been diverted to Bremerhaven, Germany, and was around 230 nautical miles out as of 10 a.m. EST, the boat is passing by Denmark at eight knots and facing 14.5 mph winds.

All the while, the boat had lost electricity mid-voyage and had no navigation capabilities for several hours. Crew members had to “manually steer the boat from the engine room” MacRae wrote on Facebook. In addition, Danish rescue boats were on their way to the ship and arrived within 40 minutes of the mayday call. That holiday sailing was to have departed Tilbury on Saturday, December 23.

Snow, rain and wind to batter UK this weekend with weather warnings issued

Reuters reported that the ship was being towed to Bremerhafen in Germany after the power outage. A spokesperson for the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre told the news agency that a ship from civil rescue firm Esvagt had managed to connect a tow line to the MS Maud. A spokesperson for HX, a unit of Norway's Hurtigruten Group, told FOX Business that the ship is sailing to Bremerhaven, Germany, for disembarkation. According to Reuters, a tow boat arrived to help the ship Thursday night.

The National Hurricane Center on Friday warned of a non-tropical area of low pressure off Florida that was set to move northward and inland over the Carolinas during the weekend. Forecasters said there would be gusty winds, dangerous surf and rip current conditions along portions of the U.S.'s southeastern coast through Sunday. “Earlier this afternoon, December 21, MS Maud reported a temporary loss of power after encountering a rogue wave,” Hurtigruten said in an emailed statement. We were talking to the officers and they estimated the waves were 15 to 20 meters,” he said.

Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports.Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world.

Carnival Cruise Line told Insider in a statement that the ship's "return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday." The ship’s 266 passengers and 131 crew members were safe, Danish rescuers have confirmed. The National Hurricane Center warned on Friday that a non-tropical area of low pressure off Florida was set to move northward and inland over the Carolinas during the weekend. Forecasters said there would be gusty winds, dangerous surf and rip current conditions along parts of the southeastern coast of the United States through Sunday. Things were crashing all around us and the carpet on my side of the bed was soaked (because) water came in thru our balcony door,” passenger Goodwin Sherbert wrote on Facebook. In 2016, Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas returned to port after cruising into a “bomb cyclone,” which damaged the ship amid winds gusting to 100 mph.

Guests booked on MS Maud in the next few weeks will want to stay in close contact with the cruise line or their travel agent to stay updated about any changes or cancellations. MS Maud‘s next cruise, a 13-night Christmas Expedition to various ports in Norway, is reported as cancelled so the damage to the vessel can be assessed and repaired. One video shared online showed heavy damage along some of the decks of the ship. The loss of navigational functions meant a Danish rescue ship had to come and tow the Maud to Germany at low speed – potentially ruining Christmas plans for many passengers. “The ship took a hit from a wave that sounded like the ship split in two,” passenger Sharon Tutrone, a professor at Coastal Carolina University, said in a Twitter post.