ACCIDENT ON THE OPEN SEA: Screenshot from the Accident Investigation Board’s video, showing the breaking wave of between 11 and 16 meters hitting the ship’s side. Photo: Norwegian Accident Investigation Board
On 28 November last year, an incident occurred with one of the Viking Polaris Zodiacs in Antarctica, where a passenger died after ending up in the sea. Now a report shows that the windows were undersized.
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As a result of the accident, the ship had to interrupt the cruise to carry out a medical evacuation.
One passenger died and eight were injured, writes the National Accident Investigation Board. The accident occurred in international waters.
– It is with great sadness that we can confirm that a guest died as a result of the incident. We have notified the guest’s family and conveyed our deepest condolences. We will continue to offer our full support to the family, said Jon Mørland, spokesperson for the shipping company Viking Cruises to VG after the incident.
Seven cabins had their windows smashed after the accident.
The investigation has also shown that the pressure from the breaking wave was far higher than what the windows were designed for, writes the National Accident Investigation Board in its report.
The Accident Investigation Board believes that the windows were not dimensioned for the force from this breaking wave, and that the current IACS regulations and international requirements and standards give too low values to be able to withstand pressure loads from breaking waves within the scope of the regulations, the report states.
Photo: ALEXIS DELELISI / AFP
The passenger vessel was south of Cape Horn on 29 November when it was hit by a large wave. Several windows to the passenger cabins were smashed.
The investigation has shown that the vessel was hit by a breaking wave which, in combination with the vessel’s course and speed, caused the windows to shatter.
At the time of the accident, the crew did not have the prerequisites to anticipate the risk associated with a breaking wave hitting so high up on the side of the ship, with such great force and challenging the windows’ ability to withstand, writes the Accident Investigation Board in its report.
– We will work with the relevant authorities to get clarity on the circumstances surrounding the incident. Our focus is on the safety and welfare of our guests and crew, and we are in dialogue with them to arrange the return journey, Mørland told VG after the accident, which claimed one life.
A passenger who was on board Viking Polaris when the accident happened says that the holiday turned into a nightmare when the wave hit the ship.
– We wondered if we hit an iceberg. There are no icebergs out here, but that’s how it felt, Suzie Gooding told the American website wral.com, after the accident.
The vessel is 205 meters long and 23.5 meters wide, specially designed and developed for expeditions in Antarctica and on the Great Lakes of North America.
Published:
Published: 29.11.23 at 10:11 a.m
Updated: 29.11.23 at 10:32 a.m
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2023-11-29 09:11:03
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