One passenger was killed and four were injured when a rogue wave hit the cruise ship they were traveling on during a storm in Antarctica earlier this week. There Viking Polaris was hit by the stormy sea on Tuesday night, while sailing towards Ushuaia, Argentina. The storm caused a giant wave that broke several windows on the cruise ship and killed a 62-year-old American woman.
Viking Cruises confirmed the ship was hit by a “rogue wave,” a type of wave the US National Ocean Service describes as “greater than twice the surrounding swell.” The Viking Polaris – a luxury vessel built this year that can carry up to 378 passengers and 256 crew – sustained limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia the next day. The four injured are not life threatening.
The cruise company has canceled Viking Polaris’ next voyage scheduled for Dec. 5-17. The U.S. National Ocean Service describes rogue waves as “very unpredictable” and says they often come unexpectedly from directions other than the prevailing wind and swell.”