TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Norwegian canceled a cruise that was scheduled for this week after a ship hit an iceberg while heading toward a glacier in Alaska.
In a statement to News Channel 8, a representative for the cruise line said the Norwegian Sun “made contact with a growler” while sailing toward the Hubbard Glacier on Saturday.
According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, a growler is an iceberg less than 6.6 feet across that floats with under 3.3 feet showing above the water.
“The ship sailed to Juneau, Alaska for further assessment, where it was decided that the current voyage would be shortened, and the cruise scheduled to embark on June 30, 2022 will be canceled, so that the necessary repairs can be made,” the representative added.
They said the ship remained operational and was cleared by the Coast Guard to go back to Seattle, where it’s based, at a reduced speed. The passengers will disembark in Seattle as originally planned.
“We are communicating with all impacted guests directly. Additional information will be provided as appropriate,” the representative said.
A ship’s chances of hitting an iceberg are incredibly rare, about one in 2000, the AFP reported in 2012, citing Brian Hill of the Institute for Ocean Technology. Hill said iceberg strikes were twice as remote as they were when the Titanic sunk in April 1912, taking with her 1,514 lives. A little over two iceberg collisions occur each year, according to Hill.