passenger killed on antarctic cruise ship

'Rogue wave' strikes Antarctic cruise ship, leaves 1 dead and 4 injured

The Viking Polaris ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, at the time.

An American passenger on an Antarctic cruise died and four other guests were injured after their Viking ship was struck by a "rogue wave," officials said.

The incident happened on Tuesday around 10:40 p.m. local time while the Viking Polaris ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, Viking said.

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A guest died following the incident, Viking said, though did not share further details on the cause of death. The victim's family has been notified, the company said.

The passenger killed was a U.S. citizen, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to ABC News Friday.

"We are offering all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment," the spokesperson said.

The victim was confirmed as Sheri Zhu, 62, by Secretary of the Ushuaia Federal Court Melina Rodriguez.

Four other guests sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and were treated by the ship's doctor and medical staff, Viking said.

"We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities," Viking said in a statement Thursday. "Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel."

The ship sustained "limited damage" from the rogue wave and arrived in Ushuaia on Wednesday "without further incident," Viking said. Images taken of the docked ship showed several damaged windows.

Passengers on board the ship described choppy conditions leading up to the incident.

Californian Beverly Spiker told ABC News that a "huge smash" against the window of her and her husband's cabin caused her window frame to break.

"Clearly something big had happened," she said. "A lot of water came shooting in."

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"Luckily, our windows did hold," she added, though said other rooms on their side of the ship were "washed out."

Spiker's cousin, Suzie Gooding, of North Carolina, told ABC News that at the time, the ship was going through the Drake Passage, "which is well-known for having turbulent seas."

Gooding said despite the conditions outside looking "horrible," the inside was "like a normal cruise ship" leading up to the incident. She said she felt a "sudden shudder" that caused cabinets to open.

"It was just unbelievable," she said. "At the time that it happened, we personally wondered if, you know, we knew that we weren't by any icebergs, but it's like, did we hit an iceberg? It just was so sudden."

Spiker said she and other passengers were "shook up" afterward.

"No matter what side of the boat you're on, it was felt throughout the ship that clearly something bad had happened," she said. "So everybody was pretty shook up."

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The ship is docked as passengers await further travel plans from Viking, according to Gooding, who said that two other ships in their bay in Ushuaia were also damaged, possibly by rogue waves.

The Viking Polaris ship's next departure for the Antarctic, scheduled for Dec. 5, has been canceled "after careful consideration," the cruise line said.

Rogue, or extreme storm, waves are "greater than twice the size of surrounding waves" and are "very unpredictable," according to the National Ocean Service .

Ushuaia, at the southernmost tip of South America, is a common starting point for cruises to Antarctica.

ABC News' Matthew Seyler contributed to this report.

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'Rogue wave' kills US passenger on Antarctic cruise ship, injures four others

One person has died and four have been injured after a massive wave smashed into an Antarctic cruise ship during a storm, while sailing off the southernmost tip of South America.

Key points:

• Authorities say a 62-year-old woman from the US was hit by broken glass when a wave broke cabin windows
• Four other tourists sustained "non-life-threatening injuries" and were treated onboard
• The ship suffered minor damage and was anchored off Ushuaia, 3,200 kilometres from the capital Buenos Aires

The 62-year-old woman from the US was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said.

The Viking Polaris cruise ship was sailing towards Ushuaia in Argentina -- the main starting point for expeditions to Antarctica -- when there was "a rogue wave incident," a representative of the Viking cruise company said in a statement.

"It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident. We have notified the guest's family and shared our deepest sympathies," the statement said.

Four other tourists "sustained non-life-threatening injuries" and were treated onboard.

The ship suffered minor damage and was anchored off Ushuaia, 3,200 kilometres from the capital Buenos Aires, with several windows smashed on the side, AFP journalists reported.

A federal court has opened a case to determine what happened. Viking said it was also "investigating the facts surrounding this incident."

Scientists often refer to rogue waves as extreme storm waves that surge out of nowhere, often in an unpredictable direction, and can look like a steep wall of water, up to twice the size of surrounding waves.

These rare killer waves were once seen as a myth reported by mariners or explorers.

The polar explorer Ernest Shackleton wrote in his book of a "gigantic" freak wave he encountered in Antarctica in 1916.

However, scientists have learned more about them in recent decades, studying how they emerge and how to predict the wall of water that can surge up even in calm seas.

The Viking Polaris was launched in 2022 and is the newest ship in the company's fleet, with a capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

The incident comes two weeks after two tourists died on another Antarctic cruise.

The two men, aged 76 and 80, had left the World Explorer ship for an excursion on an inflatable zodiac boat that overturned near the shore.

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US passenger killed after huge ‘rogue wave’ strikes Antarctic cruise ship

A woman was killed and four others were injured after the Viking Polaris vessel was hit by a big wave off southern Argentina

A US woman was killed and four other passengers injured when a massive wave struck the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina on an Antarctic cruise, authorities said.

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles (3,100km) south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

“It is with great sadness that we confirm a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking said in statement. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”

Neither the statement nor the Argentine Naval Prefecture identified the woman or her hometown.

Viking called it a “rogue wave incident” and said the four other passengers’ injuries were non-life threatening.

The cruise ship was anchored near Ushuaia, where a federal court has opened a case to determine what happened.

The company indicated on its website that to explore remote regions of the world they have “two purpose-built, state-of-the-art small expedition-class ships: Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.”

The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

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Rogue Wave Strikes Cruise Ship, Killing a Passenger and Injuring 4 Others

The passengers were hurt after a large, unpredictable wave hit the ship, which was traveling toward the Antarctic, Viking Cruises said.

By Amanda Holpuch

A passenger died and four others were injured after a large, unexpected wave hit a cruise ship traveling toward a popular launching point for expeditions to Antarctica, Viking Cruises said.

The ship, the Viking Polaris, was struck by a “rogue wave” on Tuesday at 10:40 p.m. local time while traveling toward Ushuaia, Argentina, which is on the southern tip of South America, Viking Cruises said in a statement .

Viking Cruises did not say how the passenger was killed or provide the passenger’s name. The four passengers who were injured were treated by onboard medical staff and had non-life-threatening injuries, Viking Cruises said.

A State Department official said that a U.S. citizen died and that the department was offering consular assistance to the person’s family.

Rogue waves are unpredictable, typically twice the size of surrounding waves and often come from a different direction than the surrounding wind and waves, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Scientists are still trying to figure out how and when these uncommon waves form.

Ann Mah, of Topeka, Kan., told the news station WIBW that she and her husband were on the ship when it was hit by the wave and that it was “just like your whole house got shook really hard.”

“I mean, it was just a thud,” Ms. Mah said.

The Viking Polaris was launched this year and was designed for travel to remote destinations such as the Antarctic Peninsula. The ship is 665 feet long and can carry 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

The ship sustained “limited damage” from the wave and arrived in Ushuaia the day after it was struck, Viking Cruises said.

The cruise company canceled the Viking Polaris’s next scheduled trip, a 13-day cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula.

“We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities,” the company said.

Tourism to the Antarctic has steadily increased in the last 30 years, with 74,401 people traveling there in the 2019-20 season, according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. Roughly 6,700 people traveled there in the 1992-93 season, according to the association.

In recent years, some observers have warned that the increase in tourism may not be sustainable and that it could threaten visitor safety or disrupt the fragile environment, which is already straining under the effects of climate change.

It is the beginning of the Antarctic tourism season, which coincides with its summer, beginning in late October or early November and usually lasting until March.

The death on the Viking Cruises ship this week comes after the death of two other cruise ship passengers in the Antarctic last month. Two Quark Expeditions cruise ship passengers died after one of the ship’s heavy duty inflatable Zodiac boats overturned near shore, Seatrade Cruise News reported .

Amanda Holpuch is a general assignment reporter. More about Amanda Holpuch

US Citizen Killed When ‘Rogue' Wave Hit Viking Cruise Ship in Antarctic

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late tuesday during a storm, argentine authorities said, by ap and staff • published december 2, 2022 • updated on december 4, 2022 at 10:34 am.

A U.S. woman was killed and four other passengers injured when a massive wave struck the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina on an Antarctic cruise, authorities said.

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident," Viking said in a statement. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”

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Neither the statement nor the Argentine Naval Prefecture identified the woman or her hometown.

Viking called it a “rogue wave incident” and said the four other passengers' injuries were non-life threatening.

A North Carolina couple aboard the ship told NBC affiliate WRAL that they thought "we hit an iceberg" when the wave crashed into the cruise ship.

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"There are no icebergs out here, but that's how it felt," Suzie Gooding said.

Gooding told the news station that the impact was "shocking" because it happened so suddenly.

"We didn't know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship," she added.

The cruise ship was anchored near Ushuaia, where a federal court has opened a case to determine what happened.

NOAA's National Ocean Service describes these "rogue" waves as "walls of water" that are often steep-sided with unusually deep troughs.

"Rogues, called 'extreme storm waves' by scientists, are those waves which are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves, are very unpredictable, and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves," the agency explains.

The company indicated on its website that to explore remote regions of the world they have “two purpose-built, state-of-the-art small expedition-class ships: Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.”

The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

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US passenger killed when big wave hits Antarctic cruise ship

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A U.S. woman was killed and four other passengers injured when a massive wave struck the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina on an Antarctic cruise, authorities said.

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles (3100 kilometers) south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking said in statement. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”

Neither the statement nor the Argentine Naval Prefecture identified the woman or her hometown.

Viking called it a “rogue wave incident” and said the four other passengers’ injuries were non-life threatening.

The cruise ship was anchored near Ushuaia, where a federal court has opened a case to determine what happened.

The company indicated on its website that to explore remote regions of the world they have “two purpose-built, state-of-the-art small expedition-class ships: Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.”

The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

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American passenger killed when ‘rogue’ wave hits cruise ship in Antarctic

This 2020 photo provided by the British Antarctic Survey shows the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica. (David Vaughan/British Antarctic Survey via AP)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A U.S. woman was killed and four other passengers injured when a massive wave struck the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina on an Antarctic cruise, authorities said.

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking said in statement. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”

Neither the statement nor the Argentine Naval Prefecture identified the woman or her hometown.

Viking called it a “rogue wave incident” and said the four other passengers’ injuries were non-life threatening.

The cruise ship was anchored near Ushuaia, where a federal court has opened a case to determine what happened.

The company indicated on its website that to explore remote regions of the world they have “two purpose-built, state-of-the-art small expedition-class ships: Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.”

The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

Passenger killed when big wave hits Antarctic cruise ship

A U.S. woman was killed and four other passengers injured when a massive wave struck the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina on an Antarctic cruise, authorities said.

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles (3100 kilometres) south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

"It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident," Viking said in statement. "We have notified the guest's family and shared our deepest sympathies."

Neither the statement nor the Argentine Naval Prefecture identified the woman or her hometown.

Viking called it a "rogue wave incident" and said the four other passengers' injuries were non-life threatening.

The cruise ship was anchored near Ushuaia, where a federal court has opened a case to determine what happened.

The company indicated on its website that to explore remote regions of the world they have "two purpose-built, state-of-the-art small expedition-class ships: Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris."

The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

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Breaking news, us woman killed when ‘rogue wave’ strikes antarctic cruise ship.

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An American woman died and four other passengers were injured when a “rogue wave” hit a Viking  cruise ship  sailing near the southernmost tip of South America on an Antarctic cruise, the company said Thursday. 

The unidentified 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows on the Viking Polaris ship late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking said in a statement. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”

The four passengers injured were treated onboard the ship by a doctor and medical staff for non-life-threatening injuries, the company said. 

The ship itself sustained “limited damage,” Viking said. 

“We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities,” the company said. “Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel.”

Rogue waves, also known as “extreme storm waves” by scientists, are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves, according to the  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .

Suzie Gooding, who was on the ship when the incident happened, told WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, that it felt like the ship had struck an iceberg.

“Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking,” she said. “We didn’t know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship.”

Viking said it has canceled the ship’s next scheduled departure, the Antarctic Explorer, slated to sail from Dec. 5-17. The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has a capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Rogue Wave Kills Passenger, Injures 4 on Antarctic Cruise Ship: 'We Wondered if We Hit an Iceberg'

Viking Cruises offered its support to the victim's family and canceled an upcoming departure after its ship was damaged by the rare and mysterious phenomenon known as a rogue wave

One person is dead and four others were injured after a rogue wave crashed into a Antarctic cruise ship on Tuesday.

The incident happened on the Viking Polaris as it was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southernmost tip of the continent during a voyage to Antarctica, according to a statement on the company's website .

Four guests were treated for non-life threatening injuries by the ship's medical staff. The cruise ship company did not identify the passenger who died, but said it has notified their family and offered condolences as well as "our full support to the family in the hours and days ahead."

Suzie Gooding, a North Carolina woman who was on the cruise, told local news station WRAL that they felt the impact of the huge wave on the ship.

" We wondered if we hit an iceberg ," she said. "And there are no icebergs out here, but that's how it felt."

She said the wave was completely unexpected. "Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking," Gooding said. "We didn't know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship."

Viking Cruises said the vessel — which just joined its fleet in September — "sustained limited damage."

Images of the ship appear to show broken windows on its lower level.

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines a "rogue wave " as a one that is "greater than twice the size of surrounding waves."

The waves, which can look like "walls of water," are "very unpredictable, and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves," according to the agency.

NOAA says "exactly how and when rogue waves form is still under investigation," adding that because they are so uncommon and can form unexpectedly and disappear quickly, "measurements and analysis of this phenomenon is extremely rare."

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Viking Cruises said it is investigating the incident and "will offer our support" to authorities.

"We have made the difficult decision to cancel the ship's next scheduled departure," the company said in its statement, adding that "all impacted guests and their travel advisors have been notified directly by Viking Customer Relations."

"Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew," the company said in a statement . "We are working directly with them to arrange return travel."

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US woman killed when 'rogue wave' strikes Antarctic cruise ship

The wave struck a viking polaris cruise ship sailing near south america, the company said.

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An American woman died and four other passengers were injured when a "rogue wave" hit a Viking cruise ship sailing near the southernmost tip of South America on an Antarctic cruise, the company said Thursday. 

The unidentified 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows on the Viking Polaris ship late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles south of Buenos Aires , the next day.

"It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident," Viking said in a statement. "We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies."

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One person was killed and four other passengers were injured when a giant wave broke several panes of glass on a cruise ship sailing in Antarctic waters in a storm on Tuesday.  (Alexis Delelisi /AFP via Getty Images)

The four passengers injured were treated onboard the ship by a doctor and medical staff for non-life-threatening injuries, the company said. 

The ship itself sustained "limited damage," Viking said. 

"We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities," the company said. "Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel."

Rogue waves, also known as "extreme storm waves" by scientists, are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .

Suzie Gooding, who was on the ship when the incident happened, told WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, that it felt like the ship had struck an iceberg.

"Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking," she said. "We didn’t know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship."

The Viking Polaris ship is seen anchored in waters of the Atlantic Ocean in Ushuaia, southern Argentina, on Thursday. (Alexis Delelisi /AFP via Getty Images)

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Viking said it has canceled the ship's next scheduled departure, the Antarctic Explorer, slated to sail from Dec. 5-17. The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has a capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to  [email protected] .

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Passenger killed, four injured when big wave hits Antarctic cruise ship

This article was published more than 1 year ago. Some information may no longer be current.

One person was killed, and four other passengers were injured when a giant wave broke several panes of glass on The Viking Polaris, pictured off Ushuaia, southern Argentina, while sailing in Antarctic waters in a storm on Nov. 29. ALEXIS DELELISI/AFP/Getty Images

A U.S. woman was killed and four other passengers injured when a massive wave struck the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina on an Antarctic cruise, authorities said.

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 3100 kilometers south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking said in statement. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”

Neither the statement nor the Argentine Naval Prefecture identified the woman or her hometown.

Viking called it a “rogue wave incident” and said the four other passengers’ injuries were non-life threatening.

The cruise ship was anchored near Ushuaia, where a federal court has opened a case to determine what happened.

The company indicated on its website that to explore remote regions of the world they have “two purpose-built, state-of-the-art small expedition-class ships: Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.”

The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

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Passenger deaths on Antarctic cruises prompt Coast Guard investigation

Four U.S. citizens died and others were injured in the span of a few weeks late last year

Four U.S. citizens died and more were injured during Antarctic cruises late last year, leading the U.S. Coast Guard to investigate four incidents that occurred in a span of less than three weeks.

According to a news release , Netherlands-based U.S. Coast Guard Activities Europe, the National Transportation Safety Board and other global investigators sent teams to Ushuaia, Argentina, a common departure point for Antarctica cruises. The U.S. military service said it would “commence thorough safety investigations with the goal of improving marine safety and preventing similar tragic incidents.”

More than 50,000 expedition cruise tourists visited Antarctica in the 2019-2020 season, The Washington Post has reported , while another 18,000 were only able to observe from bigger cruise ships.

The recent incidents took place on foreign-flagged vessels between Nov. 15 and Dec. 1; the travel season for Antarctica generally stretches from November through March.

Two U.S. citizens died Nov. 15 when they were on an inflatable boat that capsized with six passengers on board near Elephant Island in Antarctica. The inflatable came from the World Explorer, a ship chartered by polar adventure company Quark Expeditions.

Quark Expeditions said in a statement that the “tragic accident during a Zodiac excursion” appeared to have been caused by a breaking wave. Passengers on Antarctic cruises are able to get closer to wildlife or natural features on heavy-duty inflatable boats called Zodiacs.

Advancements in polar sailing allow travelers to explore Antarctica’s little-visited areas

The operator said in a statement Wednesday that it was aware of the Coast Guard’s announcement and pledged to “continue to cooperate fully with the investigation.”

Because the World Explorer flies a Portuguese flag, Portugal is the lead investigative state. The Coast Guard is investigating “as a substantially interested state with NTSB support.”

Investigators are also looking into two incidents on Viking Polaris, a Norwegian-flagged vessel. In one, a U.S. citizen was hurt during a mishap on an inflatable boat that the Coast Guard described as a keel-bladder failure near Damoy Point.

The other incident aboard Viking Polaris was highly publicized. Late the night of Nov. 29, as the 378-passenger ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, a rogue wave struck the ship, Viking Cruises said. One U.S. citizen died and four others were hurt.

Antarctica cruises are booming. But can the continent handle it?

The Coast Guard described the wave as a “large wave” and said it hit the ship in the Drake Passage, the notoriously rough body of water between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands.

Norway is the lead investigative state in both incidents; the Coast Guard is investigating as a “substantially interested state” with NTSB support.

In the fourth incident, a U.S. citizen died of an injury that occurred aboard Plancius, a Dutch-flagged vessel operated by Oceanwide Expeditions . The Coast Guard is investigating with authorities from the Netherlands and the Falkland Islands.

Franklin Braeckman, Antarctic program manager for Oceanwide Expeditions, said in an email that the person died following an “accidental fall” on the vessel that did not take place during any activity or landing.

“Medical support was provided immediately, after which we arranged an evacuation,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, however, these measures were not sufficient to change the tragic outcome of the accident.”

Viking did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those impacted by these tragedies,” Capt. Gretchen Bailey, the commanding officer of Coast Guard Activities Europe, said in a news release.

“The safety of U.S. passengers aboard ships throughout the globe is a priority for the U.S. Coast Guard. We are proud to work alongside the NTSB and our international partners to investigate these incidents and make meaningful safety improvements for worldwide passenger vessel operations, especially in unique high-risk environments like the Antarctic.”

More cruise news

Living at sea: Travelers on a 9-month world cruise are going viral on social media. For some travelers, not even nine months was enough time on a ship; they sold cars, moved out of their homes and prepared to set sail for three years . That plan fell apart, but a 3.5-year version is waiting in the wings.

Passengers beware: It’s not all buffets and dance contests. Crime data reported by cruise lines show that the number of sex crimes has increased compared to previous years. And though man-overboard cases are rare, they are usually deadly .

The more you know: If you’re cruise-curious, here are six tips from a newcomer. Remember that in most cases, extra fees and add-ons will increase the seemingly cheap price of a sailing. And if you happen to get sick , know what to expect on board.

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

More than 250 passengers ‘vomiting from bug’ after norovirus outbreak on cruise

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Hundreds of holidaymakers have been hit by a ‘vomiting bug’ on a P&O cruise ship.

Passengers and crew have allegedly been hit by norovirus on the cruise liners’ Ventura ship for weeks.

Currently, more than 150 guests are isolated on board the latest cruise that left the UK on May 11, a source has alleged.

They told Metro.co.uk there have been 250 suspected cases of the vomiting bug in the last four days, with guests allegedly ‘throwing up in public spaces’ around the ship.

The 14-day voyage from Southampton around the Canary Islands has turned into a nightmare as ‘more and more people get sick,’ they claimed.

P&O Cruises said it implemented its ‘approved and enhanced’ sanitisation protocols after reports of ‘guests with gastrointestinal symptoms.’

‘Some guests have left the ship to fly home’ the eyewitness alleged.

A source told Metro: ‘The ship has been in level 3 lockdown for the last month and it is only getting worse.

‘There are currently over 150 guests isolated on board and 250 cases in the last four days.

‘Guests are throwing up in public spaces, and some have had to leave the ship to fly home.

‘It is a terrible situation but management has said they need to keep making money so they’re willing to put guests’ health at risk to sell cruises.

‘This is a serious outbreak. We don’t know where it came from, it has been on board for a month maybe 5-6 weeks now and each cruise we think it has gone but more and more people get sick.’

‘This is the most we have had sick this time and the company has asked people to leave the ship for the day and given them £15 each to leave to clean the ship.’

The situation on the ship with capacity for 3,192 passengers was described as ‘terrible’ and ‘serious outbreak.’

The bug has allegedly plagued Ventura for more than a month, with staff thinking it was gone after each cruise before the bug returned to wreak more havoc among guests and some crew.

Guests allegedly face a five-hour wait to call the ship’s medical centre because of ‘so many cases.’

Passengers were allegedly handed £15 each to leave the ship while it was cleaned.

But the latest outbreak was the ‘most we have had sick this time,’ the source said.

They claimed that passengers have not received compensation.

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said in a statement that all guests were provided ‘with an advisory notice with precautionary health measures for on board and on shore, as is standard procedure across our fleet’ at the start of the journey.

They said: ‘Following reports of guests with gastrointestinal symptoms P&O Cruises has swiftly implemented our approved and enhanced sanitisation protocols to uphold the welfare of everyone onboard.

‘Alongside the above a further sanitisation is also taking place today in Tenerife. Ensuring the health and wellbeing of all guests and crew is our absolute priority.’

A two-week cruise on Ventura around the Canaries starts from around £1,129.

When the ship was launched, it was one of the largest cruise ships on the British market, with 1,550 cabins.

Southampton City Council was contacted for a comment.

Are you on board Ventura? Please contact [email protected] to share your experience.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

For more stories like this, check our news page .

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Cruise worker accused of stabbing woman and 2 security guards with scissors on ship headed to Alaska

Updated on: May 8, 2024 / 6:27 AM EDT / CBS/AP

A cruise ship worker from South Africa was arrested Tuesday in Alaska's capital city, accused of attacking a woman and two security guards with scissors on board the vessel, according to authorities.

The U.S. attorney's office says the man, identified as 35-year-old Ntando Sogoni,  is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon within maritime and territorial jurisdiction. Online court records do not show an attorney for the 35-year-old man.

According to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Matthew Judy, the man was recently hired by a cruise line and joined the ship, the Norwegian Encore, in Seattle on Sunday. The ship set off that day for a weeklong trip with scheduled stops in Alaska ports, including the capital of Juneau, and British Columbia.

The alleged incident happened west of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, as the ship was sailing to Alaska. According to the affidavit, during the late evening on Sunday, ship personnel saw the man trying to deploy a lifeboat, and he was taken by security to a medical center for an evaluation.

While there, he "became irrational and attempted to leave," and "physically attacked" a guard and a nurse, the affidavit states. He ran into another room, where he grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed a woman who was being examined, as well as two guards who tried to intervene before being subdued and held in a "shipboard jail," the affidavit says. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

The ship arrived in Juneau on Tuesday, when he was arrested by the FBI, the U.S. attorney's office says.

If convicted, Sogoni faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence.

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Cruise ship employee charged after allegedly stabbing 3 people with medical scissors

A man accused of going on a stabbing spree with a pair of medical scissors while aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship was arrested on Tuesday and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, according to prosecutors.

Ntando Sogoni, 35, from South Africa, who was working on the Norwegian Encore ship at the time of the incident, was arrested by FBI agents in Juneau, Alaska, on Tuesday after allegedly stabbing three individuals with medical scissors on Monday.

In a press release from Alaska's U.S. Attorney's Office, prosecutors say Sogoni was sent to the ship's medical center for an assessment after fellow employees noticed him "attempting to deploy a lifeboat," but he became "irrational" and tried to leave, attacking a security guard and nurse.

Upon arrival at the medical center, prosecutors say Sogoni "physically attacked" a security guard and entered an examination room where a 75-year-old American woman was being treated.

"He grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed the woman multiple times in the arm, hand and face," prosecutors said in the release, adding, "He also stabbed two security guards who intervened—one in the head and one in the back and shoulders."

None of the injuries were life-threatening, prosecutors said.

After the alleged attack, Sogoni was detained and held in the ship's jail before he was arrested when the ship docked in Juneau, according to prosecutors. 

Sogoni had recently been hired by the cruise line and joined the Encore team in Seattle on the day of the attack.

The Alaska U.S. Attorney's Office said Sogoni is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon within maritime and territorial jurisdiction and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count if convicted.

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Cabin baggage confusion costs traveller her £11,000 Antarctic cruise

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“On Sunday 12 February 2023, I set off from home to Manchester airport for the holiday of a lifetime,” says Valerie Coleshaw.

“By Monday 13 April I was home by breakfast, without luggage and in total despair.”

Ms Coleshaw, from Bolton, lost her £11,000 Antarctic cruise with Hurtigruten (now HX) after cabin crew on a KLM flight from Manchester to Amsterdam asked her to check in her cabin baggage “as the plane was extremely full”.

She says she was told her hand luggage would be returned to her at Amsterdam, where she was due to transfer to Buenos Aires and onwards to the southern Argentinian port of Ushuaia.

“I have heard of this happening before. So after checking several times that I would pick it up in Amsterdam, I agreed,” she says.

“Arriving at Amsterdam, my case was not on the carousel. I was advised to go straight to the boarding gate for Buenos Aires and it would be waiting for me there. It wasn’t.

“After hours of badgering the staff, my hand luggage could not be found. In it was my asthma spray.”

She explained to ground staff that her medication was missing. They told the captain of the KLM plane, who decided she would not be able to make the 7,100-mile journey without the asthma spray.

“I was left with a member of staff who said she would try to put me on another flight the next day. I realised that without my hand luggage I would have the same problem.

“I could not contact Hurtigruten as all the paperwork was in my hand luggage.

“Having never experiencing anything like this before, I felt humiliated and confused. I was given vouchers for a hotel and flight back to Manchester the following morning.”

KLM says when passengers are asked to put cabin baggage in the hold, they are asked to remove valuables and items needed during their flights as the hand luggage will be forwarded to the final destination.

Ms Coleshaw disputes that this happened and says that she was told the cabin baggage would be waiting for her at Amsterdam airport.

“I have never before been parted from my hand luggage but went along with the request – even checking four times before I boarded the flight to Amsterdam that it would be waiting for me,” she says.

“I had no additional handbag in which to store my documents, tickets and asthma spray. I had only a mobile phone, credit card and passport in my pocket.

“No one ever suggested to me to remove my medication, tickets, holiday reservation, emergency contact details and so on. Had they done so, I would have taken my hand luggage on board.”

KLM gave Ms Coleshaw a full refund for the value of the flights plus a £500 voucher for future travel.

“It suggests quite strongly to me that they understood the implications of my cases travelling on the plane without me,” she says.

However, the air fare was just a small proportion of the total cost of the holiday. Ms Coleshaw paid Hurtigruten £10,660 for the package, and spent hundred of pounds more on preparations for the trip including travel insurance, guidebooks and Antarctic clothing that she never got to wear.

Under the Package Travel Regulations, the organiser of a holiday – in this case Hurtigruten (now HX) – is responsible for providing the trip as booked, including services contracted out such as flights.

Normally, if an airline does not fly a passenger in time to begin their holiday, the customer would expect a full refund.

But the cruise company does not accept that KLM was at fault, and therefore is refusing to hand the money back.

Instead, HX (formerly Hurtigruten) is offering £8,500 for an alternative cruise as a goodwill gesture.

Ms Coleshaw describes the offer as “honourable but not usable”. She tried to use some of the credit on a West African cruise, but the voyage was cancelled by the company ahead of departure.

She says her circumstances have changed significantly since losing the cruise, leaving her unable to plan any similar expedition. She has suffered a serious shoulder injury, and the health of her 95-year-old mother has deteriorated.

A spokesperson for HX said: “We are disappointed that we have been unable to resolve this current issue to date. Our guest experience team have been in direct contact with Ms Coleshaw for several months now and we have worked hard to try and find a resolution to this situation.

“Following a thorough review of this booking, we offered a ‘Future Cruise Credit’, equivalent to the value of the sailing and available for use on all our itineraries around the world. This amount far exceeds our standard cancellation policy and was provided by our team as a sincere goodwill gesture.

“Furthermore, we have also offered the opportunity to extend the rebooking period to the end of 2024, for any expedition voyage departing through to the end of 2025.

“We remain fully committed to making this option available to Ms Coleshaw. Our dedicated guest experience team will continue to look for a suitable resolution to this matter, in line with what has already been offered, and hope this can be achieved soon.”

Ms Coleshaw says: “I chose Hurtigruten for two reasons: one, I had travelled with them before and it was top class; and two, the flights were included so I felt that I had peace of mind if a connecting flight were delayed.

“I did not cancel my ‘Holiday of a Lifetime’ – but realised that without medication and everything in my hand luggage I would be unable to travel further. I asked repeatedly at the boarding gate about the collection of my hand luggage, and was told it would be waiting for me.”

She says the pursuit of the refund “is having a considerable impact on my health and well-being”.

“I am beginning to give up the challenge and quit, but it is so much money as well as the shattered dream.”

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A Norwegian Cruise Line worker is accused of stabbing people on board with scissors

• A cruise ship worker was accused of stabbing a passenger and attacking crew members.
• The incident occurred on the Norwegian Encore on its voyage to Alaska from Seattle, AP reported.
• The worker was arrested and faces assault charges, the district attorney's office said.

A cruise ship employee was arrested after he allegedly used scissors to stab three people aboard a ship that was traveling to Alaska.

The employee, identified as Ntando Sogoni from South Africa, had recently started working on Norwegian Encore, a ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line,.

According to AP News , which cited an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Matthew Judy, the ship disembarked from Seattle on Sunday and was scheduled to stop in Alaskan ports, including Junea, during the weeklong voyage.

Sogoni, 35, was on duty on Monday when he began to exhibit "unusual and irrational behaviour," a spokesperson for the Norwegian Cruise Line told Business Insider. He allegedly tried to deploy a lifeboat from the ship, according to a press release issued by the district attorney's office .

According to the FBI, Sogoni was taken to the ship's medical center for examination, where he then "physically attacked" a security guard and a nurse before using a pair of scissors to stab a passenger who was being examined.

Sogoni allegedly stabbed the passenger several times in her arm, hand, and face. A security guard who intervened was stabbed in the head, while a second security guard was stabbed in the back and shoulders, authorities said.

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The conditions of the passenger and staff are unknown, though AP News reported that none of the injuries were life-threatening.

The ship was traveling west of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, when the alleged incident took place, the publication added.

Sogoni was held in the ship's jail before being arrested in Juneau on Tuesday.

Sogoni is facing charges of assault with a dangerous weapon. He could face up to 10 years in prison in addition to a $250,000 fine for each count if convicted, they added.

The cruise industry made $19 billion in revenue in 2022, according to the online data platform Statista .

The US Department of Transportation keeps a record of reported crimes on cruise ships through quarterly reports. According to a recent cruise line incident report , 47 alleged incidents were reported to the FBI between January and March of this year.

Of the incidents reported, eight were recorded as assault with serious bodily injury, one was recorded as a missing US national, and six alleged thefts of under $10,000 were reported. There were also 16 cases categorized as "sexual assault," and a further 16 were categorized as "sexual assault — rape."

The district attorney's office, Juneau's police department, and Sogoni's lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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