Title: Norwegian cruise ship passengers panic as rogue wave disables vessel
By Yaron Steinbuch
Published Dec. 25, 2023
Updated Dec. 25, 2023, 9:30 a.m. ET
Terrifying footage has emerged of panicked passengers bracing aboard a Norwegian cruise ship that lost power when it was hit by a rogue wave in the North Sea.
The passengers aboard the stranded MS Maud were captured on video wearing life vests and holding onto tables after the vessel was hit by 70-foot waves and gale-force winds caused by Storm Pia last week.
“Lay on the floor!” one panic-stricken person is heard shouting during the stomach-churning incident, according to footage shared by SWNS.
The ship, which departed from Tilbury Docks in the UK on Dec. 9 carrying 266 passengers and 131 crew, lost its power and navigational equipment when it ran into the storm on Dec. 21.
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.
Launder, of Richmond, North Yorkshire, said he saw waves reaching their cabin windows on the fifth deck and water gushing through the corridors.
“At the one stage they were getting the lifeboats ready,” he told SWNS on Saturday, adding that they hoped to back home for Christmas before the maritime mishap.
“The cruise had to be cut short as they had to cut through the storm. We spent lots of hours not moving with no power. We were talking to the officers and they estimated the waves were 15 to 20 meters,” he said.
“We were worried when the water came through the door. My wife was so calm, she was helping this lady. She got her sorted out,” Launder continued.
He said one person was hurt on the ship, owned by Hurtigruten Expeditions.
“She had a baby in her arms but she went flying,” he said, adding that the “captain had to move the bridge to the passenger lounge due to three windows blown out by a wave.”
On Sunday, he said a rescue ship was alongside the Maud to provide navigation aid after the ship was diverted to Bremerhaven, Germany.
The couple planned to travel back to Hamburg for an early morning flight to Frankfurt and then finally back to the UK, where they expected to arrive in London on Christmas Eve.
“Apart from the drama, we’ve actually quite enjoyed it,” the grandfather of four quipped. “We’ve never been on a cruise ship before. I’d definitely go on one again.”
Meanwhile, another video captured some passengers who enjoyed some humor during the scary incident.
“Even in moments of sheer fear, our fellow passengers found levity from the destruction of the Gingerbread Town that collapsed, fragmented & slid around us in Muster Station A Deck 5 18.19 21.12.23 #Hurtigruten #MSMaud whilst #StormPia raged around us,” X user Oscar Dog wrote.
He shared a video of a woman displaying a smiling elf puppet as she sat on the floor on the debris-strewn deck, where she was surrounded by other passengers wearing orange survival gear.