1 dead, 4 injured after giant wave breaks glass panels on Viking Polaris ship

   December 2, 2022 ,   Accidents

1 person died and 4 were injured after a giant wave broke several glass panels of an Antarctic Viking Cruises ship that was sailing south of Cape Horn (Chile), in the middle of a storm.

The accident occurred on Tuesday at 10:40 p.m. local time (01:40 a.m. GMT on Wednesday, November 30th) when the Norwegian-flagged Viking Polaris ship was hit by a large wave that caused several glass panels to break in the booths.

The vessel was sailing towards Ushuaia (Argentina), 3,200 kilometres (1988 miles) south of Buenos Aires on an 11-day, one-way Buenos Aires to Ushuaia voyage.

4 other travelers suffered injuries but without their lives being in danger. The four were treated by onboard medical personnel.

Viking Polaris suffered minor damage and returned Wednesday afternoon to Ushuaia port, where she is moored.

The cruise company is investigating the facts and working with the crew and passengers to organize the return trips.

Viking Polaris has other voyages planned for the season. The 378-passenger ship was launched in 2022 and is the newest for the Norwegian company. 

Viking Polaris cruise ship

A couple of weeks ago 2 other cruisers died while crossing Antarctica on the Word Explorer ship when the semi-rigid boat they were taking on a trip capsized offshore and they fell overboard in a case that is under investigation.

The deceased were 2 men of American nationality aged 76 and 80, the naval police revealed.