- MS Maud was returning to UK following a 14-day Northern Lights expedition
- Are you on board MS Maud? Email arthur.parashar@mailonline.co.uk
This is the terrifying second a Norwegian cruise ship with British vacationers on board was struck by a ‘rogue wave’, sending passengers sliding across the flooring and knocking out its energy throughout a ferocious North Sea storm.
MS Maud, which belongs to cruise firm HX, a unit of Norway’s Hurtigruten Group, was crusing some 162 miles off Denmark’s west coast and about 217 miles off Britain’s east coast when the monster wave shattered its home windows on the bridge.
The luxurious cruise ship, which was carrying 400 passengers and crew, had began a 14-day Northern Lights expedition crusing from Tilbury on December 9 and was attributable to return to the Essex port on December 23.
Dramatic footage obtained by MailOnline reveals the precise second that the freak wave got here crashing into the ship, resulting in an outage that brought about the crew to lose its skill to navigate and has resulted within the vessel being towed to Germany.
The passenger who filmed the second stated: ‘I had the bridge digicam displaying on the TV to attempt to cease dizziness and simply randomly determined to movie it! As quickly because the wave struck, the TV display went clean and the ship’s horn misery sign sounded so I knew one thing was improper.’
The holidaymaker, who anticipated it was going to be a ‘tough journey’ after going over a number of different huge waves, described how passengers, mounted tables and chairs have been despatched sliding throughout the ground amid the rocky situations.
MS Maud (pictured) had began a 14-day Northern Lights expedition crusing from Tilbury, within the UK, on December 9 and it was attributable to return to the Essex port on December 23
One passenger, who was filming the bridge digicam on the time, captured the second the ‘rogue wave’ struck MS Maud
Terrifying footage reveals the large wave crashing into the Norwegian ship, which resulted in an influence outage
A store on MS Maud was left in full disarray after following the incident. A clean-up operation was underway at present
Pictures shared with MailOnline present the destruction brought on by the wave, together with a store the place the home windows had been smashed in and merchandise have been left strewn throughout the ground. Those on board stated a giant clean-up operation was underway at present.
Another passenger, Betty Little, was on the journey together with her 96-year-old mom Jessie when the wave struck. She praised the crew for his or her response as they’re each disabled and wanted additional assist amid the panic.
Ms Little advised MailOnline: ‘When we needed to go to muster stations, we virtually instantly had help. One crew member, with the additional help of 4 others, gave my mom a piggyback down the steps, and I had two helping me. We had help to don our survival gear and have been made as comfy as doable.
‘Later, water was supplied together with cans of Coca-Cola and ginger ale, in addition to sandwiches. Absolutely superb crew!’
Other stomach-churning footage shared by passengers confirmed simply how uneven the situations have been, with the ship seen aggressively rocking up and down because it was ravaged by enormous waves.
One video, which was shared on Facebook, obtained dozens of feedback from fellow passengers with one writing: ‘We’re watching movies in our room. Every time we transfer we almost go flying.’
The ship’s 266 passengers and 131 crew members have been protected, a spokesperson for the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (DJRC) confirmed, including {that a} vessel from civil rescue agency Esvagt had managed to attach a tow line to the cruise ship.
‘An Esvagt ship is towing it slowly in the direction of Bremerhafen in Germany at round 8-9 knots,’ the spokesperson stated.
A store window on MS Maud was smashed in after the large wave sparked mayhem on board
The TV digicam went utterly clean after the wave got here crashing into the ship – and passengers have been advised to assemble on the muster level
Footage shared from inside MS Maud reveals the ship shifting up and down aggressively, whereas gadgets are strewn throughout the ground
Despite the facility outage, the vessel’s important engine was nonetheless functioning, enabling the ship to be steered manually from the engine room.
MS Maud left Floroe in Norway on Thursday and was attributable to arrive in Tilbury in Britain on Friday.
Hurtigruten confirmed in a press release on Friday that the vessel was heading to Bremerhafen for disembarkation.
A spokesperson for HX stated: ‘Yesterday afternoon, December 21, MS Maud reported a brief lack of energy after encountering a rogue wave. The ship was crusing in the direction of Tilbury, UK from Florø, Norway when the incident occurred.
‘At this time, the ship has confirmed that no severe visitor or crew accidents have been sustained because of the incident. The situation of the ship stays steady and the crew are in a position to sail below their very own energy.
‘Following ongoing security checks and technical assessments, given the climate situations, we determined to amend the deliberate crusing route. Across the fleet, there are thorough operational protocols in place and we all the time prioritise the protection of these onboard.
‘The ship is presently crusing to Bremerhaven, Germany for disembarkation. Our workforce are working to rearrange onward journey again dwelling for visitors onboard.’
The space was hit by a storm late on Thursday with hurricane-force gusts blowing from the northwest, and they’re forecasted to proceed on Friday, the Danish Meteorological Institute stated.
Remarkable footage from the ship’s bridge digicam reveals simply how huge the waves have been main as much as the ‘rogue wave’
Another video reveals the tough North Sea situations because the crew needed to be towed to Germany
The map sneakers the route of MS Maud from Floroe to Tilbury earlier than it misplaced navigation skill within the North Sea
The MS Maud – previously often called the MS Midnatsol – bought its title from a polar vessel from 100 years in the past, in response to its web site.
The authentic vessel was named for the primary queen of what is come to be often called modern-day Norway.
The ship is outfitted with know-how that its web site claims makes it ‘exceptionally well-suited’ for cruises between Norway and the British Isles.
Journeys on the MS Maud price anyplace between $3,000 and almost $10,000.
It comes six weeks after a Saga cruise ship was battered by a storm (pictured) and floor to a halt within the Bay of Biscay, forcing passengers to ‘maintain on for expensive life’
It comes six weeks after a Saga cruise ship was battered by a storm and floor to a halt within the Bay of Biscay, forcing passengers to ‘maintain on for expensive life’.
The Spirit of Discovery minimize brief its two-week voyage and headed again to Portsmouth early to keep away from the oncoming tempest when punishing winds and uneven waters caught up with it.
Around 100 of the 1,000 folks on board have been injured, the vast majority of whom have been damage because the ship’s security system was activated, inflicting it to dramatically veer and shudder to a halt, in response to Saga on the time.