Norwegian cruise ship loses ability to navigate after rogue wave hits

A Norwegian cruise ship lost the ability to navigate after a rogue wave crashed into it Thursday, the cruise company HX said.

The MS Maud lost power after the wave hit as the ship was sailing toward Tilbury, England, from Florø, Norway, HX, a unit of Norway’s Hurtigruten Group, said in a statement.

None of the passengers or crew members were seriously injured, HX said. Reuters reported that all 266 passengers and 131 crew members are safe, citing the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.

“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.

The rogue wave shattered windows on the ship’s bridge, which caused water to enter the vessel and resulted in a power outage, Reuters reported.

Because of a lack of navigational abilities, the ship had to be steered manually from the engine room, Reuters reported, with support vessels from a civil rescue company helping navigate until the ship could be towed to port.

HX said in the statement that the ship’s crew conducted “thorough safety checks and technical assessments” and that further checks were underway to ensure the ship could continue on course.

The Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said Friday that it did not know which harbor the ship would choose. Two civilian support ships are assisting, it said.