COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – On Thursday, the Norwegian cruise ship MS Maud experienced a power outage when a rogue wave shattered windows on the bridge while it was sailing in the North Sea. This caused the vessel to lose its ability to navigate, according to Danish authorities and the ship’s owner.
Thankfully, the 266 passengers and 131 crew members were safe, and authorities planned to begin towing the vessel to a Danish port at around 2230 GMT as reported by a spokesperson from the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, responsible for coordinating search and rescue operations.
The ship, which is owned by cruise company HX, a unit of Norway’s Hurtigruten Group, was en route from Floroe in Norway to Tilbury in the UK.
Hurtigruten stated in an email that “MS Maud reported a temporary loss of power after encountering a rogue wave.” The ship confirmed that no serious injuries to passengers or crew had occurred and that the ship remained stable.
When the ship was sailing approximately 200 kilometers off Denmark’s west coast and 330 kilometers off Britain’s east coast, strong winds blew through windows on the bridge, allowing water to enter and resulting in a power failure on the bridge, according to the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.
The ship is currently being steered manually from the engine room but cannot navigate. Civil rescue vessels had arrived to help the ship navigate until it could be towed to port. The spokesperson stated that “the situation is under control.”
A storm hit the area late on Thursday with hurricane-force gusts blowing from the northwest, which were forecast to continue on Friday, as mentioned by the Danish Meteorological Institute.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, editing by Chris Reese, Josie Kao, and Deepa Babington)
