Norwegian Cruise Ship Hits Iceberg off U.S. Coast

Norwegian Sun: Just sittin’ on the dock of the bay. Photo: Sam Greenwood (Getty Images)

Have you heard the story about an ocean liner that hit an iceberg off the coast of North America? No, not that one. The one about the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) vessel that bashed a ‘berg and was forced to cut a bunch of holiday-makers’ trips short?

Well that’s exactly what happened off the coast of Alaska last week. The NCL-operated ship was sailing from Seattle to Alaska for a nine-day tour of the region’s glaciers and other natural phenomena. But, a close encounter with an iceberg on June 25 forced it back to port.

The Norwegian Sun thankfully didn’t undergo a similar fortune to the Titanic so remained upright following the bump.

ABC News reports that shortly after departing, the vessel struck the small iceberg, dubbed a “growler.” Apparently, this is the name given to any iceberg that has “less than 3.3 feet of ice showing above the water,” and has a width measuring less than 6.6 feet.

According to Cruise Hive, the Norwegian Sun struck the iceberg due to “dense fog” and reduced visibility while it was sailing. No injuries were reported and the ship was able to continue sailing through the open seas.

After making contact with the ‘berg, the Norwegian Sun detoured to dock in Juneau, Alaska, where it underwent safety checks.

A spokesperson for NCL said in a statement:

“The ship sailed to Juneau, Alaska for further assessment, where it was decided that the current voyage would be shortened

“The ship was given clearance by the United States Coast Guard and other local maritime authorities to return to Seattle at reduced speed.”

Iceberg! Straight ahead! Photo: David McNew (Getty Images)

After checks had been made to the vessel and its hull, all guests onboard were sailed back to Seattle, where the firm said they would depart tomorrow (June 30). Norwegian Cruises added that it had cancelled a future trip aboard the ship, which was schedule for departure later this week.

The spokesperson added: “We are communicating with all impacted guests directly. Additional information will be provided as appropriate.”