Viking Cruises announced that their expedition cruise ship Viking Polaris was struck by a “rogue wave” in a storm off Antarctica on November 29 at 22:40 local time. The ship was sailing towards Ushuaia, Argentina. One passenger was killed by the wave, while four others sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were treated by the ship’s onboard doctor and medical staff. 

The ship sustained limited damage during the incident and arrived in port in Ushuaia on the afternoon of November 30. AFP reports that several windows were smashed on one side of the ship. Viking has canceled the ship’s next scheduled departure of December 5-17.

The Viking Polaris was launched in 2022 as the latest cruise from the Norwegian company. The ship can carry 378 passengers and a crew of 256.

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.

Cruise ship passenger deaths or injuries from rogue waves are rare but not unknown. Euronews.travel reports that in 2010, two tourists were killed when a rogue wave smashed into a cruise ship off the northeast coast of Spain. The wall of water broke the glass windshields of the Cypriot-owned Louis Majesty.