One major expedition cruise line's ship was left without power for a time after being struck by a rare rogue wave at sea Thursday.
The HX (formerly known as Hurtigruten Expeditions) ship, the MS Maud, was en route from Florø, Norway, to Tilbury, England, at the time of the incident, a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Fortunately, no significant injuries were reported among the 266 passengers and 131 crew members aboard. The spokesperson said that the ship currently “remains stable and the crew are able to sail under their own power.”
“Following ongoing safety checks and technical assessments, given the weather conditions, we decided to amend the planned sailing route,” they said. “Across the fleet, there are thorough operational protocols in place and we always prioritize the safety of those onboard.”
The MS Maud is currently headed to Bremerhaven, Germany, where all passengers will disembark. The HX team is in the process of making travel arrangements for the guests to return home.
According to information from CruiseMapper, the vessel was in the midst of a 14-night ‘Northern Lights Expedition Cruise’ roundtrip from the U.K.’s London-Tilbury Cruise Port. The rogue wave incident occurred toward the tail end of the trip, which was scheduled to conclude on December 23.
Rogue waves, which scientists also call "extreme storm waves," are isolated, large-amplitude swells that occur at sea, which are more than double the size of the surrounding waves.
According to the National Ocean Service, they “are very unpredictable, and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves.” It adds, “Most reports of extreme storm waves say they look like ‘walls of water’. They are often steep-sided with unusually deep troughs.”
"We work closely with health and safety experts, maintain highly trained crew members, and collaborate with third-party suppliers and maritime authorities to ensure rigorous measures are in place to prevent and manage any potential crises," the HX spokesperson said.
Last year at around this time, albeit in an altogether different region, a rogue wave similarly struck the expedition ship Viking Polaris in an incident that left one passenger dead and four others seriously injured.
“Cruise ships and their home offices are constantly reviewing weather conditions to ensure safest and smoothest courses,” industry expert Stewart Chiron, known as “The Cruise Guy,” told USA Today. “Unfortunately, Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate and ships are forced to react at the moment.”
He noted that, while it's rare for rogue waves to hit cruise ships, the occurrence isn't impossible and depends largely upon the specific geographic locations they're sailing in and seasonal factors.
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