Norwegian cruise ship hit by storm and left without power in North Sea

A Norwegian cruise ship has been left without power in the North Sea after a rogue wave and hurricane-force winds shattered windows on its bridge, Danish authorities have said.

The MS Maud’s 266 passengers and 131 crew were safe, a spokesperson for the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (DJRC) told Reuters.

They added that two towage vessels from a civil rescue firm were helping to keep it stable.

“They just need to calmly get through the storm, and they do this by sailing upwind,” the spokesperson said.

The vessel left Floroe in Norway on Thursday and was due to arrive in Tilbury in the UK on Friday.

It was sailing around 120 miles (200km) off Denmark’s west coast and 205 miles (330km) off the east coast of the UK when water entered the vessel’s bridge, resulting in a power outage.

Its main engine was still functioning, allowing the ship to be steered manually from the engine room.

Data from the shipping traffic website Vesselfinder.com showed on Friday that MS Maud had barely moved since Thursday night.

The ship belongs to cruise company HX, which said on Thursday that it had suffered “a temporary loss of power” and the crew and passengers were safe.

It was not clear where the vessel would go next.

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Last month around 100 passengers were injured on a cruise ship when it got caught in a storm in the Bay of Biscay.

The Spirit of Discovery was nearing the end of a 14-night round trip to the Canary Islands when it was hit by severe weather, including waves said to have been at least 9m high.