Hurtigruten Cruise Ship Awaits Tow After being Hit by a Rogue Wave

The Norwegian cruise ship MS Maud suffered a power outage after a rogue wave shattered windows on the bridge while it sailed in the North Sea, causing the vessel to lose its ability to navigate, Danish authorities and the ship's owner said on Thursday. The 266 passengers and 131 crew members were safe, and authorities aimed to begin towing the vessel to a Danish port around 2230 GMT, said a spokesperson from the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, which is responsible for coordinating search and rescue operations. The ship, which belongs to cruise company HX, a unit of Norway's Hurtigruten Group, was sailing from Floroe in Norway to Tilbury in the UK. 'Earlier this afternoon, December 21, MS Maud reported a temporary loss of power after encountering a rogue wave,' Hurtigruten said in an emailed statement. 'At this time, the ship has confirmed that no serious passenger or crew injuries have been sustained as a result of the incident and the condition of the ship remains stable,' it said. While sailing roughly 200 kilometers off Denmark's west coast and roughly 330 kilometers off Britain's east coast, strong winds blasted windows on the bridge of the vessel, allowing water to enter which resulted in a power failure on the bridge, the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said. 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 the ship could be towed to port. 'The situation is under control,' the spokesperson said. The area was hit by a storm late on Thursday with hurricane-force gusts blowing from the northwest that were forecast to continue on Friday, the Danish Meteorological Institute said. (Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen Editing by Chris Reese, Josie Kao and Deepa Babington)