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"Rogue wave" kills American woman, injures four others on Antarctic cruise ship

Updated on: December 2, 2022 / 7:15 PM EST / CBS/AFP

A U.S. woman died and four other passengers were injured when a massive wave smashed into an Antarctic cruise ship during a storm as it sailed off the southernmost tip of South America, officials said Friday. The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday, Argentine authorities said.

The Viking Polaris cruise ship was sailing toward Ushuaia in Argentina — the main starting point for expeditions to Antarctica — when there was "a rogue wave incident," a representative of the Viking cruise company said in a statement .

"It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident. We have notified the guest's family and shared our deepest sympathies," the statement said.

Neither the Viking statement nor the Argentine Naval Prefecture identified the woman or her hometown.  

In a statement to CBS News, a U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed the death and offered condolences to the family.

"We are offering all appropriate consular assistance," the spokesperson said. "Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment."

Four other tourists "sustained non-life-threatening injuries" and were treated onboard, the cruise line said.

"We wondered if we hit an iceberg," Suzie Gooding, a passenger from North Carolina,  told WRAL-TV . "And there are no icebergs out here, but that's how it felt."

Gooding told the station that the impact of the wave was "shocking."

"Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking," Gooding said. "We didn't know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship."

Durham couple on board cruise ship struck by enormous wave, killing 1, injuring 4 https://t.co/6FIvbmV0dT — WRAL NEWS in NC (@WRAL) December 2, 2022

The ship suffered minor damage and was anchored off Ushuaia, 3,200 kilometers (nearly 2,000 miles) from the capital Buenos Aires, with several windows smashed on the side, AFP journalists reported.

Viking said it was "investigating the facts surrounding this incident."

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.

These rare killer waves were once seen as a myth reported by mariners or explorers. The polar explorer Ernest Shackleton wrote in his book of a "gigantic" freak wave he encountered in Antarctica in 1916.

However, scientists have learned more about them in recent decades, studying how they emerge and how to predict the wall of water that can surge up even in calm seas.

The Viking Polaris was launched in 2022 and is the newest ship in the company's fleet.

The incident comes two weeks after two tourists died on another Antarctic cruise. The two men, aged 76 and 80, had left the World Explorer ship for an excursion on an inflatable zodiac boat which overturned near the shore.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Rogue Wave Strikes Cruise Ship, Killing a Passenger and Injuring 4 Others

The passengers were hurt after a large, unpredictable wave hit the ship, which was traveling toward the Antarctic, Viking Cruises said.

By Amanda Holpuch

A passenger died and four others were injured after a large, unexpected wave hit a cruise ship traveling toward a popular launching point for expeditions to Antarctica, Viking Cruises said.

The ship, the Viking Polaris, was struck by a “rogue wave” on Tuesday at 10:40 p.m. local time while traveling toward Ushuaia, Argentina, which is on the southern tip of South America, Viking Cruises said in a statement .

Viking Cruises did not say how the passenger was killed or provide the passenger’s name. The four passengers who were injured were treated by onboard medical staff and had non-life-threatening injuries, Viking Cruises said.

A State Department official said that a U.S. citizen died and that the department was offering consular assistance to the person’s family.

Rogue waves are unpredictable, typically twice the size of surrounding waves and often come from a different direction than the surrounding wind and waves, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Scientists are still trying to figure out how and when these uncommon waves form.

Ann Mah, of Topeka, Kan., told the news station WIBW that she and her husband were on the ship when it was hit by the wave and that it was “just like your whole house got shook really hard.”

“I mean, it was just a thud,” Ms. Mah said.

The Viking Polaris was launched this year and was designed for travel to remote destinations such as the Antarctic Peninsula. The ship is 665 feet long and can carry 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

The ship sustained “limited damage” from the wave and arrived in Ushuaia the day after it was struck, Viking Cruises said.

The cruise company canceled the Viking Polaris’s next scheduled trip, a 13-day cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula.

“We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities,” the company said.

Tourism to the Antarctic has steadily increased in the last 30 years, with 74,401 people traveling there in the 2019-20 season, according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. Roughly 6,700 people traveled there in the 1992-93 season, according to the association.

In recent years, some observers have warned that the increase in tourism may not be sustainable and that it could threaten visitor safety or disrupt the fragile environment, which is already straining under the effects of climate change.

It is the beginning of the Antarctic tourism season, which coincides with its summer, beginning in late October or early November and usually lasting until March.

The death on the Viking Cruises ship this week comes after the death of two other cruise ship passengers in the Antarctic last month. Two Quark Expeditions cruise ship passengers died after one of the ship’s heavy duty inflatable Zodiac boats overturned near shore, Seatrade Cruise News reported .

Amanda Holpuch is a general assignment reporter. More about Amanda Holpuch

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Passenger killed after large ‘rogue’ wave hits Antarctic cruise ship

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A U.S. woman was killed and four other passengers injured when a massive wave struck the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina on an Antarctic cruise, authorities said.

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles (3100 kilometres) south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking said in statement. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”

Neither the statement nor the Argentine Naval Prefecture identified the woman or her hometown.

Viking called it a “rogue wave incident” and said the four other passengers’ injuries were non-life threatening.

The cruise ship was anchored near Ushuaia, where a federal court has opened a case to determine what happened.

Suzie Gooding, an American woman on-board the cruise, told North Carolina news station WRAL that they felt the impact of the massive wave on the ship.

“We wondered if we hit an iceberg,” she said. “And there are no icebergs out here, but that’s how it felt.”

“We have made the difficult decision to cancel the ship’s next scheduled departure,” said Viking in a statement, adding that “all impacted guests and their travel advisors have been notified directly by Viking Customer Relations.”

“Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew,” it continued. “We are working directly with them to arrange return travel.”

The company indicated on its website that to explore remote regions of the world they have “two purpose-built, state-of-the-art small expedition-class ships: Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.”

The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

— With files from Global News’ Chris Jancelewicz

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'Rogue wave' hits Viking cruise ship, killing 1 passenger and injuring 4 others

One person died and four others were injured after a "rogue wave" hit the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, on Tuesday night, officials said.

“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking said in a statement Thursday. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies. We will continue to offer our full support to the family in the hours and days ahead.”

The name and hometown of the passenger was not released, but Argentine authorities identified her as a 62-year-old American who was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows, according to The Associated Press .

The four other guests had non-life-threatening injuries and received treatment from doctors and medical staff onboard.

Rogue waves, or extreme storm waves, are uncommon, unpredictable and "greater than twice the size of surrounding waves," according to the National Ocean Service . They are described as "walls of water" in most reports.

Suzie Gooding, who was on the ship when the incident happened, recalled feeling like they'd hit an iceberg, according to NBC affiliate WRAL of Raleigh, North Carolina.

“Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking,” Gooding told the news station. “We didn’t know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship.”

The ship "sustained limited damage during the incident" and arrived in Ushuaia Wednesday afternoon, Viking said in its statement.

"We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities," the company said. "Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel."

The Viking Polaris’ next departure, the Antarctic Explorer cruise scheduled for Dec. 5-17, was canceled due to the incident.

Breaking news reporter

US Citizen Killed When ‘Rogue' Wave Hit Viking Cruise Ship in Antarctic

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late tuesday during a storm, argentine authorities said, by ap and staff • published december 2, 2022 • updated on december 4, 2022 at 10:34 am.

A U.S. woman was killed and four other passengers injured when a massive wave struck the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina on an Antarctic cruise, authorities said.

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident," Viking said in a statement. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”

Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.

Neither the statement nor the Argentine Naval Prefecture identified the woman or her hometown.

Viking called it a “rogue wave incident” and said the four other passengers' injuries were non-life threatening.

A North Carolina couple aboard the ship told NBC affiliate WRAL that they thought "we hit an iceberg" when the wave crashed into the cruise ship.

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"There are no icebergs out here, but that's how it felt," Suzie Gooding said.

Gooding told the news station that the impact was "shocking" because it happened so suddenly.

"We didn't know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship," she added.

The cruise ship was anchored near Ushuaia, where a federal court has opened a case to determine what happened.

NOAA's National Ocean Service describes these "rogue" waves as "walls of water" that are often steep-sided with unusually deep troughs.

"Rogues, called 'extreme storm waves' by scientists, are those waves which are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves, are very unpredictable, and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves," the agency explains.

The company indicated on its website that to explore remote regions of the world they have “two purpose-built, state-of-the-art small expedition-class ships: Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.”

The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

This article tagged under:

'Rogue wave' kills US passenger on Antarctic cruise ship, injures four others

One person has died and four have been injured after a massive wave smashed into an Antarctic cruise ship during a storm, while sailing off the southernmost tip of South America.

Key points:

• Authorities say a 62-year-old woman from the US was hit by broken glass when a wave broke cabin windows
• Four other tourists sustained "non-life-threatening injuries" and were treated onboard
• The ship suffered minor damage and was anchored off Ushuaia, 3,200 kilometres from the capital Buenos Aires

The 62-year-old woman from the US was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said.

The Viking Polaris cruise ship was sailing towards Ushuaia in Argentina -- the main starting point for expeditions to Antarctica -- when there was "a rogue wave incident," a representative of the Viking cruise company said in a statement.

"It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident. We have notified the guest's family and shared our deepest sympathies," the statement said.

Four other tourists "sustained non-life-threatening injuries" and were treated onboard.

The ship suffered minor damage and was anchored off Ushuaia, 3,200 kilometres from the capital Buenos Aires, with several windows smashed on the side, AFP journalists reported.

A federal court has opened a case to determine what happened. Viking said it was also "investigating the facts surrounding this incident."

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.

These rare killer waves were once seen as a myth reported by mariners or explorers.

The polar explorer Ernest Shackleton wrote in his book of a "gigantic" freak wave he encountered in Antarctica in 1916.

However, scientists have learned more about them in recent decades, studying how they emerge and how to predict the wall of water that can surge up even in calm seas.

The Viking Polaris was launched in 2022 and is the newest ship in the company's fleet, with a capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

The incident comes two weeks after two tourists died on another Antarctic cruise.

The two men, aged 76 and 80, had left the World Explorer ship for an excursion on an inflatable zodiac boat that overturned near the shore.

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US passenger killed after huge ‘rogue wave’ strikes Antarctic cruise ship

A woman was killed and four others were injured after the Viking Polaris vessel was hit by a big wave off southern Argentina

A US woman was killed and four other passengers injured when a massive wave struck the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina on an Antarctic cruise, authorities said.

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles (3,100km) south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

“It is with great sadness that we confirm a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking said in statement. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”

Neither the statement nor the Argentine Naval Prefecture identified the woman or her hometown.

Viking called it a “rogue wave incident” and said the four other passengers’ injuries were non-life threatening.

The cruise ship was anchored near Ushuaia, where a federal court has opened a case to determine what happened.

The company indicated on its website that to explore remote regions of the world they have “two purpose-built, state-of-the-art small expedition-class ships: Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.”

The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

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Passengers on Antarctic cruise ship hit by deadly 'rogue wave' speak out

The Trusdales were passengers on the Viking Polaris cruise ship last week.

Tom and Pam Trusdale were enjoying a bucket list trip to Antarctica , until their trip of a lifetime turned into a deadly disaster.

"It was going real smoothly, and we were only anticipating nothing but smooth going forward," Tom Trusdale told ABC News.

The Trusdales were passengers on the Viking Polaris cruise ship sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, when it was hit by a "rogue wave" last week , killing an American passenger, Sheri Zhu, and injuring four others.

"Good Morning America" airs at 7 a.m. ET on ABC.

The Trusdales said the wave wasn't the only disaster. The Trusdales and ABC News later confirmed that a day before the accident, another passenger was seriously injured during a Zodiac boat excursion.

"It was a real loud, it was a boom, and I flew up in the air, and the passenger across from me flew up in the air. She came down and hit hard," Pam Trusdale said.

MORE: 'Rogue wave' strikes Antarctic cruise ship, leaves 1 dead and 4 injured

Tom Trusdale said he saw two passengers tossed into the air from what seemed to be an apparent explosion.

"I saw the woman go, probably about 3 feet in the air, and then the gentleman straight across from me go up in the air, and then roll over into the sea," Tom Trusdale said. "So I went across and leaned over the pontoon, and I just grabbed on to the life jacket. He was face up, so he was stabilized, and I reassured him that, 'Hey, you're safe.'"

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Tom Trusdale said he and another passenger were able to quickly pull the man back on the boat, but the woman's leg was severely injured.

"She said, 'I hurt my legs. I can't feel my leg,'" Pam Trusdale said. " And then I could hear her kind of straining that, you know, I could tell that she was in a lot of pain."

The passenger's leg required surgery, which led the ship's captain to turn back to Argentina. During the trip back toward Argentina, through a known turbulent stretch of ocean, was when the "rogue wave" crashed into the cruise ship.

"This wave hit it and came over and literally broke through windows and just washed into these rooms, and not only did it wash into the rooms, but it broke walls down, and once some walls went into the next room," Tom Trusdale said.

Viking said in a statement on its website that it's investigating the wave incident and is committed to the safety and security of all guests and crew.

Viking issued a second statement about the Zodiac boat incident, saying: "On November 28, the Viking Polaris deployed a small boat with six guests and one crew member near Damoy Point, Antarctica. On this trip a guest sustained a serious but non-life-threatening leg injury while on board the small boat and was taken to the medical center on the Viking Polaris."

"Following a detailed diagnosis by the ship's medical team, the decision was taken for the ship to immediately sail to Ushuaia so that the guest could receive additional medical care from a shore-based hospital," it continued. "The guest is now recovering shoreside in Ushuaia and will then return home; Viking is continuing to support them during this period. We are committed to the safety and security of all our guests and crew, and we are investigating the cause of the incident."

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1 dead, 4 injured after 'rogue wave' strikes Antarctic cruise ship

The Viking Polaris ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, at the time.

A passenger on an Antarctic cruise died and four others were injured after their Viking ship was struck by a "rogue wave," the cruise line said.

The incident happened on Tuesday around 10:40 p.m. local time while the Viking Polaris ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, Viking said.

A guest died following the incident, Viking said, though did not share further details on the cause of death. The victim's family has been notified, the company said. The identity or nationality of the passenger was not released.

Four other guests sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and were treated by the ship's doctor and medical staff, Viking said.

"We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities," Viking said in a statement Thursday. "Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel."

The ship sustained "limited damage" from the rogue wave and arrived in Ushuaia on Wednesday "without further incident," Viking said. Images taken of the docked ship showed several damaged windows.

Passengers on board the ship described choppy conditions leading up to the incident.

Californian Beverly Spiker told ABC News that a "huge smash" against the window of her and her husband's cabin caused her window frame to break.

"Clearly something big had happened," she said. "A lot of water came shooting in."

"Luckily, our windows did hold," she added, though said other rooms on their side of the ship were "washed out."

SEE ALSO: Cruise ship passenger who went overboard was 'dead set' on surviving during 20-hour wait for rescue

Spiker's cousin, Suzie Gooding, of North Carolina, told ABC News that at the time, the ship was going through the Drake Passage, "which is well-known for having turbulent seas."

Gooding said despite the conditions outside looking "horrible," the inside was "like a normal cruise ship" leading up to the incident. She said she felt a "sudden shudder" that caused cabinets to open.

"It was just unbelievable," she said. "At the time that it happened, we personally wondered if, you know, we knew that we weren't by any icebergs, but it's like, did we hit an iceberg? It just was so sudden."

Spiker said she and other passengers were "shook up" afterward.

"No matter what side of the boat you're on, it was felt throughout the ship that clearly something bad had happened," she said. "So everybody was pretty shook up."

The ship is docked as passengers await further travel plans from Viking, according to Gooding, who said that two other ships in their bay in Ushuaia were also damaged, possibly by rogue waves.

The Viking Polaris ship's next departure for the Antarctic, scheduled for Dec. 5, has been canceled "after careful consideration," the cruise line said.

Rogue, or extreme storm, waves are "greater than twice the size of surrounding waves" and are "very unpredictable," according to the National Ocean Service .

Ushuaia, at the southernmost tip of South America, is a common starting point for cruises to Antarctica.

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Rogue Wave Kills Passenger, Injures 4 on Antarctic Cruise Ship: 'We Wondered if We Hit an Iceberg'

Viking Cruises offered its support to the victim's family and canceled an upcoming departure after its ship was damaged by the rare and mysterious phenomenon known as a rogue wave

One person is dead and four others were injured after a rogue wave crashed into a Antarctic cruise ship on Tuesday.

The incident happened on the Viking Polaris as it was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southernmost tip of the continent during a voyage to Antarctica, according to a statement on the company's website .

Four guests were treated for non-life threatening injuries by the ship's medical staff. The cruise ship company did not identify the passenger who died, but said it has notified their family and offered condolences as well as "our full support to the family in the hours and days ahead."

Suzie Gooding, a North Carolina woman who was on the cruise, told local news station WRAL that they felt the impact of the huge wave on the ship.

" We wondered if we hit an iceberg ," she said. "And there are no icebergs out here, but that's how it felt."

She said the wave was completely unexpected. "Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking," Gooding said. "We didn't know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship."

Viking Cruises said the vessel — which just joined its fleet in September — "sustained limited damage."

Images of the ship appear to show broken windows on its lower level.

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines a "rogue wave " as a one that is "greater than twice the size of surrounding waves."

The waves, which can look like "walls of water," are "very unpredictable, and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves," according to the agency.

NOAA says "exactly how and when rogue waves form is still under investigation," adding that because they are so uncommon and can form unexpectedly and disappear quickly, "measurements and analysis of this phenomenon is extremely rare."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Viking Cruises said it is investigating the incident and "will offer our support" to authorities.

"We have made the difficult decision to cancel the ship's next scheduled departure," the company said in its statement, adding that "all impacted guests and their travel advisors have been notified directly by Viking Customer Relations."

"Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew," the company said in a statement . "We are working directly with them to arrange return travel."

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Breaking news, us woman killed when ‘rogue wave’ strikes antarctic cruise ship.

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An American woman died and four other passengers were injured when a “rogue wave” hit a Viking  cruise ship  sailing near the southernmost tip of South America on an Antarctic cruise, the company said Thursday. 

The unidentified 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows on the Viking Polaris ship late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking said in a statement. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”

The four passengers injured were treated onboard the ship by a doctor and medical staff for non-life-threatening injuries, the company said. 

The ship itself sustained “limited damage,” Viking said. 

“We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities,” the company said. “Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel.”

Rogue waves, also known as “extreme storm waves” by scientists, are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves, according to the  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .

Suzie Gooding, who was on the ship when the incident happened, told WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, that it felt like the ship had struck an iceberg.

“Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking,” she said. “We didn’t know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship.”

Viking said it has canceled the ship’s next scheduled departure, the Antarctic Explorer, slated to sail from Dec. 5-17. The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has a capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Passenger dies after giant wave smashes glass window on Antarctic cruise

The ship was struck by a “rogue wave.”

One person has died and four more were injured after a giant wave crashed into a cruise ship on an Antarctic expedition.

The Viking Polaris ship was sailing south of Cape Horn in stormy conditions.

The Norwegian cruise company Viking said the ship was battered by a “rogue wave” that smashed several panes of glass in the cabins.

"We wondered if we hit an iceberg. And there are no icebergs out here, but that's how it felt,” one passenger told North Carolina news site WRAL.

The incident occurred on Tuesday at 22.40pm local time, AFP reports.

What has cruise company Viking said about the incident?

"It is with great sadness that we confirm that a passenger died following the incident,” the cruise company said in a statement.

“We have notified the family of the guest and shared our deepest condolences."

The company has not yet confirmed the gender or nationality of the victim.

Four other passengers on the ship sustained injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening. They were treated by the onboard medical team.

Viking says the ship suffered minor damage during the event. The company says it is "investigating the facts surrounding this incident."

Where was the Viking Polaris ship headed?

The cruise was headed to Ushuaia, 3,200 kilometres south of Buenos Aires. This is the most common starting point for expeditions to Antarctica .

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.

The expedition has been halted and the company says it is arranging return travel for guests and crew.

“Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel. A two-week journey of stunning views - cut short," Viking added in the statement.

What is a ‘rogue wave’?

The cruise company said the incident was caused by a “rogue wave” hitting the ship.

Scientists often use this term to imply extreme storm waves that seem to rise up out of nowhere.

The US government’s National Ocean Service describes these waves as "large, unexpected and dangerous.”

They can look like a towering wall of water, sometimes double the size of surrounding waves .

One of the tallest ever recorded was over 18 metres high, about as tall as a four-storey building.

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Tales of these waves can be found throughout the centuries in maritime folklore, also referred to as “freak” or “killer” waves.

But it is only in the last decades that scientists have accepted them as a real phenomenon.

Scientists say they often surge up unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves, and they can even appear in relatively calm waters.

How common are deaths from rogue waves?

This is not the first time a freak wave has caused deaths or injuries to cruise ship passengers.

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 vessel.

Two passengers suffered fatal injuries from glass shards while another 14 were taken to hospital.

However, rogue waves are rare and modern cruise ships are built to withstand any major damage from such a phenomenon.

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US woman killed when 'rogue wave' strikes Antarctic cruise ship

The wave struck a viking polaris cruise ship sailing near south america, the company said.

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An American woman died and four other passengers were injured when a "rogue wave" hit a Viking cruise ship sailing near the southernmost tip of South America on an Antarctic cruise, the company said Thursday. 

The unidentified 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows on the Viking Polaris ship late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles south of Buenos Aires , the next day.

"It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident," Viking said in a statement. "We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies."

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One person was killed and four other passengers were injured when a giant wave broke several panes of glass on a cruise ship sailing in Antarctic waters in a storm on Tuesday.  (Alexis Delelisi /AFP via Getty Images)

The four passengers injured were treated onboard the ship by a doctor and medical staff for non-life-threatening injuries, the company said. 

The ship itself sustained "limited damage," Viking said. 

"We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities," the company said. "Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel."

Rogue waves, also known as "extreme storm waves" by scientists, are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .

Suzie Gooding, who was on the ship when the incident happened, told WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, that it felt like the ship had struck an iceberg.

"Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking," she said. "We didn’t know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship."

The Viking Polaris ship is seen anchored in waters of the Atlantic Ocean in Ushuaia, southern Argentina, on Thursday. (Alexis Delelisi /AFP via Getty Images)

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Viking said it has canceled the ship's next scheduled departure, the Antarctic Explorer, slated to sail from Dec. 5-17. The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has a capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to  [email protected] .

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Passenger deaths on Antarctic cruises prompt Coast Guard investigation

Four U.S. citizens died and others were injured in the span of a few weeks late last year

Four U.S. citizens died and more were injured during Antarctic cruises late last year, leading the U.S. Coast Guard to investigate four incidents that occurred in a span of less than three weeks.

According to a news release , Netherlands-based U.S. Coast Guard Activities Europe, the National Transportation Safety Board and other global investigators sent teams to Ushuaia, Argentina, a common departure point for Antarctica cruises. The U.S. military service said it would “commence thorough safety investigations with the goal of improving marine safety and preventing similar tragic incidents.”

More than 50,000 expedition cruise tourists visited Antarctica in the 2019-2020 season, The Washington Post has reported , while another 18,000 were only able to observe from bigger cruise ships.

The recent incidents took place on foreign-flagged vessels between Nov. 15 and Dec. 1; the travel season for Antarctica generally stretches from November through March.

Two U.S. citizens died Nov. 15 when they were on an inflatable boat that capsized with six passengers on board near Elephant Island in Antarctica. The inflatable came from the World Explorer, a ship chartered by polar adventure company Quark Expeditions.

Quark Expeditions said in a statement that the “tragic accident during a Zodiac excursion” appeared to have been caused by a breaking wave. Passengers on Antarctic cruises are able to get closer to wildlife or natural features on heavy-duty inflatable boats called Zodiacs.

Advancements in polar sailing allow travelers to explore Antarctica’s little-visited areas

The operator said in a statement Wednesday that it was aware of the Coast Guard’s announcement and pledged to “continue to cooperate fully with the investigation.”

Because the World Explorer flies a Portuguese flag, Portugal is the lead investigative state. The Coast Guard is investigating “as a substantially interested state with NTSB support.”

Investigators are also looking into two incidents on Viking Polaris, a Norwegian-flagged vessel. In one, a U.S. citizen was hurt during a mishap on an inflatable boat that the Coast Guard described as a keel-bladder failure near Damoy Point.

The other incident aboard Viking Polaris was highly publicized. Late the night of Nov. 29, as the 378-passenger ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, a rogue wave struck the ship, Viking Cruises said. One U.S. citizen died and four others were hurt.

Antarctica cruises are booming. But can the continent handle it?

The Coast Guard described the wave as a “large wave” and said it hit the ship in the Drake Passage, the notoriously rough body of water between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands.

Norway is the lead investigative state in both incidents; the Coast Guard is investigating as a “substantially interested state” with NTSB support.

In the fourth incident, a U.S. citizen died of an injury that occurred aboard Plancius, a Dutch-flagged vessel operated by Oceanwide Expeditions . The Coast Guard is investigating with authorities from the Netherlands and the Falkland Islands.

Franklin Braeckman, Antarctic program manager for Oceanwide Expeditions, said in an email that the person died following an “accidental fall” on the vessel that did not take place during any activity or landing.

“Medical support was provided immediately, after which we arranged an evacuation,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, however, these measures were not sufficient to change the tragic outcome of the accident.”

Viking did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those impacted by these tragedies,” Capt. Gretchen Bailey, the commanding officer of Coast Guard Activities Europe, said in a news release.

“The safety of U.S. passengers aboard ships throughout the globe is a priority for the U.S. Coast Guard. We are proud to work alongside the NTSB and our international partners to investigate these incidents and make meaningful safety improvements for worldwide passenger vessel operations, especially in unique high-risk environments like the Antarctic.”

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Too many cruising accidents? Coast Guard opens investigation into Antarctica cruise casualties

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the deaths and injuries of Americans on cruise ships sailing in and around Antarctica late last year.

The U.S. Coast Guard Activities Europe, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and international flag administrations are looking into incidents on foreign-flagged vessels that occurred between Nov. 15 and Dec. 1.

The investigations include an incident in November when a rogue wave hit the Viking Polaris ship  on its way to Ushuaia, Argentina. One person died and four others were injured. Norway is the lead investigative state on the case.

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"Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those impacted by these tragedies," Coast Guard Activities Europe commanding officer Capt. Gretchen Bailey said in a news release . "The safety of U.S. passengers aboard ships throughout the globe is a priority for the U.S. Coast Guard. We are proud to work alongside the NTSB and our international partners to investigate these incidents and make meaningful safety improvements for worldwide passenger vessel operations, especially in unique high-risk environments like the Antarctic."

What incidents is the Coast Guard investigating?

The investigations include several other incidents:

► When an inflatable boat from Viking Polaris "sustained a keel-bladder failure near Damoy Point, Antarctica," a U.S. citizen got hurt, according to the release. Norway is the lead investigative state on that case as well.

► Two U.S. citizens died after an inflatable boat from Quark Expeditions' World Explorer ship capsized close to Elephant Island, Antarctica. The boat was carrying six passengers at the time. Portugal is the lead investigative state.

► A U.S. citizen died after getting hurt on board Oceanwide Expeditions' Plancius ship. The Coast Guard is investigating in coordination with Netherlands and Falkland Islands officials.

"We deeply regret this unfortunate accident and wish to express our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the departed," Oceanwide Expeditions' Antarctic Program Manager Franklin Braeckman said in an email. "This incident involved an accidental fall on our vessel Plancius that did not take place during any activity or landing."

"Medical support was provided immediately, after which we arranged an evacuation," he added.

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Viking and Quark Expeditions did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on the investigations.

The U.S. will help with the Viking Polaris and World Explorer investigations "as a substantially interested state in accordance with International Maritime Organization protocols and Coast Guard policy," the Coast Guard said in the release.

The Coast Guard and the NTSB, as well as the lead investigative states, also sent teams to conduct safety investigations in Ushuaia, Argentina – a common point of departure for Antarctica expeditions – in order to prevent other similar incidents.

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How often do those incidents happen?

There are potential hazards that come with visiting Antarctica, said Stewart Chiron, a cruise industry expert known as The Cruise Guy.

"It's not a sunny, calm sailing around the Caribbean Sea," he told USA TODAY in an email.

Death and injury are "inherent but rare risks while visiting Antarctica but shouldn't be overriding factors," he said. "As more people and ships sail in the region, there will be increased incidents."

Rogue waves, for their part, are more than twice the size of surrounding waves, according to the  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . They are dangerous and unpredictable, but uncommon.

Cruise and tour operators will keep doing everything they can to keep minimize dangers and hiccups, and provide safe travel experiences, according to Chiron. While he advised travelers to be aware of the risks before going, they may find the journey plenty worth it. "Observing the wildlife and the ice sheets can be quite rewarding," he said. "Visiting a destination seen by so few can be quite fulfilling."

The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Viking cruise ship

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Fast-growing Viking has one of the most diverse arrays of itineraries of any cruise line.

Not only does the California-based company offer ocean cruises in almost every corner of the world, it also offers river cruises on many of the world’s major rivers.

That’s notably different from most cruise lines. Typically, cruise lines operate either ocean cruises or river cruises but not both. That gives them a smaller range of itineraries.

For more cruise guides, tips and news, sign up for TPG’s cruise newsletter .

Viking has a particularly large footprint when it comes to European river itineraries, with a wide range of sailings on nearly every European river of any note, from the Douro in Portugal to (until recently) the Volga in Russia.

The company also operates river trips on the Nile in Egypt and the Mekong in Southeast Asia, and it just began river trips on the Mississippi River .

There are 80 river ships in Viking’s fleet — an astounding number. None of its main competitors among river lines catering to North Americans, which include Avalon Waterways, Uniworld and AmaWaterways , have anywhere near that number of vessels.

Related: First look at Viking’s stylish new Nile River ship

Among ocean cruise destinations, Viking has a major presence in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, which it considers its home turf. (The company was founded by a Norwegian family.) However, you’ll find Viking’s nine traditional ocean ships everywhere from North America to Asia and Australia.

Last year, the line began cruising to Antarctica with its first expedition ship — a type of vessel built specifically for travel to remote, hard-to-reach places. Viking now has two such vessels.

Among the line’s voyages, there’s everything from eight-day cruises in the Mediterranean to 138-day around-the-world voyages.

Overwhelmed with choices? Here are the five best Viking cruise destinations where the line can truly offer you a memorable vacation.

Scandinavia and Northern Europe

Some of Viking’s most interesting itineraries are around Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea, with many beginning or ending in Norway — the homeland of the company’s founder and chairman, Torstein Hagen.

As Hagen once told me, Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea are what the company considers “Viking country” — a region where it wants to dominate.

During summers, in particular, Viking devotes an unusually large number of its ships to itineraries around Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea and other Northern Europe destinations such as Iceland. Many, notably, use the relatively small but famously scenic Norwegian city of Bergen (population 286,000) as a gateway, something no other line is doing. That allows for unusual variations on the typical Baltic Sea or Norwegian fjords cruise.

The line’s most popular route in the region, “Viking Homelands,” is a two-week-long, one-way trip between Bergen and Stockholm that combines several days of exploring the fjord region of Norway’s west coast with more-typical Baltic cruise destinations such as St. Petersburg, Russia, and Helsinki.

Related: The ultimate guide to Viking ships and itineraries

Note that, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Viking has pulled the St. Petersburg stop, as well as stops in Finland and Estonia from the Viking Homelands itinerary; the trips instead feature extra stops in Norway and Denmark. It’s unlikely St. Petersburg will return to the itinerary until the war in Ukraine is resolved.

Viking also offers a 14-night itinerary that includes several stops in the northernmost part of the country above the Arctic Circle. Dubbed “Into the Midnight Sun,” the one-way route between Bergen and London is unique because it combines calls in far-north Honningsvag and Tromso, Norway, with visits to Scotland’s remote Shetland Islands and the Orkney Islands. Though part of the United Kingdom, these archipelagos have ties to Norwegian and Viking history.

Itineraries that will take you from Bergen to Iceland or even as far away as France, Portugal and Spain also are available.

Viking’s Scandinavia and Northern Europe trips range widely in length from just seven nights to a whopping 28 nights.

Among the longest sailings that Viking offers that include calls in Northern Europe are one-way, 28-night voyages between Bergen and New York City. The trips include stops in Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Canada.

In Northern Europe, Viking ships mostly sail out of Bergen, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Copenhagen and London as well as Reykjavik.

The Mediterranean

Viking has grown into a major player in Mediterranean sailings, with more than 30 distinct itineraries that include stops in the region.

The trips include voyages focused specifically on the Western Mediterranean or Eastern Mediterranean and some that include stops across both areas.

Typical of the latter is the line’s 14-night “Mediterranean Antiquities” routing, a one-way trip between Athens and Barcelona that stops in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Monaco, France and Spain.

More-focused Mediterranean itineraries include the line’s nine-night “Empires of the Mediterranean” voyages between Venice and Athens, which mostly concentrate on stops along the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea in Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro.

In the Mediterranean, the line’s main hubs are Barcelona; Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Venice, Italy; Piraeus (the port for Athens), Greece; and Istanbul.

Related: The complete guide to Viking cabins and suites  

Europe riverways

Viking is, quite simply, the giant of river cruising in Europe — at least among lines that cater to English speakers. The company operates around 70 river ships on a broad swath of the continent’s rivers — far more than any other river line catering to North Americans.

In all, the line accounts for about half of all river cruises taken by North Americans in the region. The next biggest player in Europe river cruises for North Americans, AmaWaterways, is less than half the size.

Among the rivers in Europe where Viking has a major presence are the Rhine, Main and Danube in Central Europe; the Seine, Rhone, Dordogne, Garonne and Gironde in France; the Douro in Portugal; and the Moselle and Elbe in Germany. Until recently, Viking also offered cruises on the Dnieper River in Ukraine. The voyages have been suspended since Russia invaded the country in early 2022.

On nearly all of the rivers, the line offers multiple itineraries with lengths ranging from seven nights to as many as 22 nights.

Among 10 different itineraries on the Rhine River alone, offerings range from a seven-night “Rhine Getaway” from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, to a 22-night “European Sojourn” from Amsterdam to Bucharest, Romania. The latter adds travel on the Main and Danube rivers to days on the Rhine.

Viking offers some of the most intimate and elegant cruises on the Nile, with three ships including the recently unveiled, 82-passenger Viking Osiris — one of our favorite vessels on the river.

All three of Viking’s Nile ships operate the same seven-night Nile cruise itinerary that Viking pairs with a four-night stay at a hotel in Cairo (three nights before the cruise and one night after) to create an 11-night “Pharaohs and Pyramids” tour of Egypt.

Related: The ultimate guide to Viking’s loyalty program

The cruise portion of the tour includes visits to the historic temples of Luxor, Karnak, Esna, Dendera and Abu Simbel as well as a visit to the iconic Valley of the Kings. The stay in Cairo brings a visit to the pyramids of Giza, the Egyptian Museum and other sites.

Viking Osiris is the first of four sister ships that Viking plans to launch on the Nile by 2025 as it doubles its footprint in Egypt. The vessels offer a clean-lined, Scandinavian-influenced design that mimics the look of Viking’s Europe-based vessels.

Notably, the ship features an entire deck of sprawling suites that rival anything else found on the Nile for luxury and comfort. Each comes with two full-size rooms — a large living room with a residential feel and an adjacent bedroom with a walk-in closet and bathroom. Each suite also has an outdoor balcony with seating for two — something you don’t always see on Nile ships.

Viking is a newcomer to cruises to Antarctica, but the destination is a big growth area for the line. Viking recently added two new, 378-passenger expedition cruise vessels specifically built to travel to the White Continent.

Dubbed Viking Octantis, the first of these vessels began sailings to Antarctica in February 2022. The second ship in the series, Viking Polaris, has just joined its sister in Antarctica this year. Together, the two ships are already making waves in the market for Antarctica cruises, in part because they have several new and unusual features.

Most notable is The Hangar, an enclosed marina that allows passengers to transfer to two of each ship’s exploratory vessels while still in the protected interior of the ship. A first for an expedition ship, it’s something that is significantly improving the experience for passengers heading out on Antarctica exploration.

Related: The 3 types of Viking ships, explained

In another first for polar expedition cruise vessels, every cabin on both Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris has floor-to-ceiling glass walls that slide partially open from the top to create a balcony-like feel.

Viking offers several Antarctic itineraries, with the typical trip starting with a night at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before a flight to Ushuaia, Argentina, to board one of the two expedition ships for an 11-night cruise to Antarctica and back. A longer version of the trip features 13 nights on board one of the ships and extra days in Antarctica.

Viking also offers Antarctica sailings that combine a visit to the White Continent with stops in the Falkland Islands, Uruguay and Brazil.

Viking Octantis, notably, also operated Viking’s first sailings around the Great Lakes this year. In 2023, both Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris will spend their summers in the Great Lakes.

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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Viking IPO: Key Facts Behind the Luxury Cruise Operator’s Billion-Dollar Debut

Sean O'Neill , Skift

April 30th, 2024 at 6:37 PM EDT

Wednesday's IPO will value Viking, an operator of luxury river and ocean cruises, at roughly $10 billion. Leaders in the luxury travel sector will be eyeing the move closely.

Sean O'Neill

Viking , an operator of river and ocean cruises, and a group of shareholders were set to raise more than $1.54 billion in an initial public offering on Wednesday.

When the stock begins trading Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol VIK , the Bermuda-based luxury travel company anticipates that the price per share will be $24.

The company and its shareholders will offer 53 million shares . The IPO placed a roughly $10.3 billion valuation on the company on a fully distributed basis as of the opening bell.

10 Facts About Viking’s IPO and Strategy

• The IPO will enrich chairman, CEO, and co-founder Torstein “Tor” Hagen, 81, who will control a slim majority of Viking shares. The public debut will make Hagen worth roughly $5 billion , according to Bloomberg estimates.
• Hagen began Viking in 1997 with four river ships. Today, the company sails 80 river vessels, averaging 190 passengers each. It also has nine ocean-sailing ships, which typically hold about 900 passengers, making them relatively smaller than traditional ocean vessels. The company has three other vessels, such as those used to cruise the Nile in Egypt.
• Viking wasn’t profitable last year. It reported a $1.86 billion loss in its 2023 fiscal year. But it said that was related to one-time losses. The company reported about $1.09 billion in adjusted EBITDA in its SEC filings.
• The company targets well-off travelers, typically those above age 55. Its average revenue per passenger last year was $7,251.
• The company stands apart from traditional ocean cruise lines. There aren’t water slides or casinos on board. Small children are often banned.
• The company claims it served one out of four luxury cruise-goers on ocean cruises last year out of a market of about 1.1 million. Competitor brands include Oceania, Silversea, Seabourn, and Regent.
• The company claims to have served one out of two river cruise travelers last year, out of a market of 700,000 passengers. Rivals include Grand Circle.
• About 90% of Viking’s guests are from North America. Most of its cruise ship itineraries are in Europe and Antarctica, but it has routes worldwide.
• Viking said it may use some of the capital from the IPO to help expand its offerings to land-based tours and excursions. It will also use some of the capital to pay down its debt, which was $5.4 billion in December.
• Viking has 24 new ships on order, with options for 12 more. It plans to enter China and other markets.

For more on the company, see Viking’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission . Analyst Jess Peterson has crunched other key numbers.

UPDATE: This story was updated with the final pricing for the stock.

Cruise and Tours Sector Stock Index Performance Year-to-Date

What am I looking at?  The performance of cruise and tours sector stocks within the ST200 . The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including both cruise lines and tour operators.

The Skift Travel 200 (ST200)  combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more cruise and tours sector financial performance .

Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.

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Tags: cruise lines , cruises , ipo , IPOs , luxury , river cruise , river cruises , river cruising , viking

Photo credit: Sofa chairs in a public atrium on board a Viking river cruise ship. Source: Viking.

• Expeditions

Press Release

Viking announces pricing of upsized initial public offering.

Los Angeles, CA (April 30, 2024) – Viking Holdings Ltd (“Viking”) today announced the pricing of its upsized initial public offering of an aggregate of 64,041,668 ordinary shares at a public offering price of $24.00 per share. Viking is offering 11,000,000 ordinary shares and the selling shareholders are offering 53,041,668 ordinary shares. In addition, the selling shareholders have granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 9,606,248 ordinary shares to cover over-allotments at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. Viking will not receive any proceeds from any sale of shares by the selling shareholders. The ordinary shares are expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on May 1, 2024 under the symbol “VIK” and the offering is expected to close on May 3, 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.

BofA Securities and J.P. Morgan (listed in alphabetical order) are acting as lead underwriters and representatives for the proposed offering. UBS Investment Bank and Wells Fargo Securities are also acting as lead book-running managers. HSBC and Morgan Stanley are acting as bookrunners for the proposed offering, and Rothschild & Co, Stifel, Drexel Hamilton, LLC, Loop Capital Markets LLC and R. Seelaus & Co., LLC are acting as co-managers for the proposed offering.

A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and was declared effective on April 30, 2024. The proposed offering will be made only by means of a prospectus, copies of which may be obtained, when available, from: BofA Securities, NC1-022-02-25, 201 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28255-0001, Attention: Prospectus Department, telephone: 1-800-294-1322, or email: [email protected]; and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717, telephone: 1-866-803-9204, or email: [email protected].

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Viking

Viking was founded in 1997 and provides destination-focused journeys on rivers, oceans and lakes around the world. Designed for curious travelers with interests in science, history, culture and cuisine, Viking offers experiences for The Thinking Person™.

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Meet the Norwegian-owned cruise challenger to Carnival and Royal Caribbean that just raised $1.54 billion

Viking had humble beginnings. 

The now-listed cruise line was once just a venture by “two guys with two mobile phones and four river ships,” as the company’s CEO, Torstein Hagen, puts it in Viking’s prospectus .

But a lot has changed in 27 years. Now, the Norwegian-owned, Bermuda-based business has a staff of 10,000 catering to guests with a taste for the finer things in life. 

The cruise operator, which made its name in European river tours, launched its initial public offering at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday. It raised $1.54 billion , according to Reuters, making it the biggest listing in the U.S. this year. 

Viking rebounded strongly after the COVID-19 pandemic decimated cruise travel and its public listing comes as luxury consumers are spending more on travel and less on shopping. Some of Viking’s competitors, such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean, have seen record demand for cruises—opening a world of opportunity for the smaller company.    

Viking’s beginning

Viking was founded in 1997 by Hagen, who controls most of the company with his daughter, Karine Hagen.

From the start it aimed to give travelers an immersive experience in local cultures as they toured in one of its four river vessels. In the past three decades or so, Viking has expanded its fleet to 92 ships offering three types of experiences via rivers, oceans, and expeditions.

The company has also benefited from some savvy marketing plays: It sponsored PBS Masterpiece series, such as Downton Abbey , and offered themed trips linked to those shows. 

Between 2015 and 2023, Viking’s revenue grew at a compound annual rate of 14.4%, outpacing the rest of the cruise industry in the river and luxury ocean segments during this period, the company said in a public filing .

Viking has carved its strategic niche among older, well-off customers, a group it believes is “underserved.” These are not boozy party boats, and there are no kids allowed. 

“Our target demographic has greater financial stability, which can make them more resilient to economic conditions and more willing to invest in high-quality travel experiences,” Viking said. 

And that’s the space it hopes it can dominate, with the help of its IPO funds.

The Viking founder and road ahead

Hagen didn’t enter the world of cruises till the 1970s. 

A physics major in school, Hagen earned an MBA at Harvard University before entering management consulting. He dabbled with entrepreneurship a few times before finally succeeding, Bloomberg reported .

When business for Viking’s river cruises, its first service, began to pick up, Hagen expanded to offer journeys worldwide—from expeditions in Antarctica to river cruises in Vietnam. 

Viking is on an expedition of its own now that its shares are traded. Last year, the cruise line hosted close to 650,000 guests and generated $4.7 billion in revenue, up by almost 50% from 2022. Its underlying profits were $1.1 billion for the same period, according to Viking’s prospectus.

The cruise company is still much smaller than rivals like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian. But it’s a global leader in some segments, such as luxury ocean cruises. 

Following a strong open, Viking’s market valuation has reached more than $10 billion, putting Hagen’s wealth at $5 billion. As the appetite for luxury travel builds , Viking is ready to ride the wave. 

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Reporting by Echo Wang in San Francisco and Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Anirban Sen, Lisa Shumaker and Sherry Jacob-Phillips

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Echo Wang is a correspondent at Reuters covering U.S. equity capital markets, and the intersection of Chinese business in the U.S, breaking news from U.S. crackdown on TikTok and Grindr, to restrictions Chinese companies face in listing in New York. She was the Reuters' Reporter of the Year in 2020.

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Death — and plenty of life — on a Nile River cruise

The luxury Viking Aton was built in 2023 for cruising Egypt's Nile River. The vessel has five decks, but holds just 82 passengers. Viking

The Egyptian air was an oppressive 47 degrees, fuelled by an unrelenting sun. I had taken refuge in the shade, wearing the guidebook-recommended attire: a white cotton tunic, a wide-brimmed hat and barely-there sandals consisting of two meagre pieces of leather. A breeze off the Nile provided a modicum of relief. But still – still – I could feel the sweat dripping down my spine.

From the sun deck of the Viking Aton cruise ship, I was tracking a white heron when another, larger blur of movement caught my eye: A boy was running full tilt down the small embankment. In a flash, he dove into the river and its cool, watery relief. Oh, how I envied him.

Read also: Egypt’s ancient (and lively) City of the Dead confronts bulldozers in modernization campaign

The scene is one of my most vivid memories of a recent visit to Egypt, perhaps because it caught me by surprise. I expected my Nile River cruise trip to be centred around death: tombs, sarcophagi, mummies. And there was plenty of that. But even against a backdrop of the Pyramids of Giza and the Valley of the Kings, it was the moments of everyday life that left the greatest impression.

In Cairo, for example, a visit to the Egyptian Museum is sure to enthrall tourists with even the most passing of interests in the country’s ancient history and elaborate mythology. It is a privilege to behold Tutankhamun’s iconic funerary mask. But when I think of it now, I recall its gold and lapis lazuli ornamentation more from images seen in books over the years.

My memories of the capital are instead of the cheerful energy of a packed, alcohol-free ahwa (outdoor cafe) at midnight, or the midday serenity of the al-Hakim Mosque in Old Cairo. I can still hear the endless loop of Umm Kulthum songs in the market and the cacophony of hundreds of people eating koshari – a carb lover’s dream of rice, lentils, macaroni, chickpeas, fried onions and tomato sauce – at Abou Tarek, one of the city’s most iconic restaurants.

The Viking Osiris cruises the Nile River near Luxor, Egypt. White Rain Productions/Viking

About 45 minutes outside the city, the Pyramids of Giza are engineering marvels whose magnitude and complexity must be seen up-close to truly appreciate. But amid the dusty landscape it was belligerent camels and nimble stray dogs who brought the biggest smiles to me and my travel companions. At the nearby new Grand Egyptian Museum, a stray cat dashing through the entrance hall elicited almost as many “ooohs” as the 3,200-year-old, 36-foot-tall, 83-ton limestone statue of pharaoh Ramesses 11 that towers over visitors. (Speaking of cats, I was surprised to learn the Sphinx has a tail, wrapped around its side just like any old tabby.)

After our time in Cairo, we flew to Aswan to board the Aton, the latest of Viking’s luxury ships custom-built (in 2023) for cruising the Nile. The vessel is only 72 metres long with five decks – but it holds just 82 passengers (and 48 crew), which means it never feels crowded. Viking describes the aesthetic as “elegant Scandinavian,” and yet the airy, earth-tone, clean-line vibes is perfectly in keeping with the desert landscape.

With the ship still in port, we took off in sightseeing boats to a small island to explore the Philae temple complex. You would never know by looking at the structures – which date as far back as 380 BC – that in the late 1970s they were painstakingly moved from their nearby original location, flooded because of the Aswan dam, then carefully reassembled amid towering palm trees, piece by piece (40,000 in total).

The imposing grandeur of the ancient ruins cannot be overstated – particularly the twin-tower, 18-metre-high entrance to the Temple of Isis. And yet it was the present-day humanity taking place inside that I can still picture without looking at my photos.

At the Luxor Temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site constructed in 1400 BC, nearly every surface is covered in hieroglyphics. In some spots, traces of the original colourful paint remains. Domini Clark/The Globe and Mail

Seeking relief in the shade were several mewling felines, including a mother cat and her young offspring. Two caretakers provided water and food, paying particular attention to the kittens, who happily ate pieces of kibble out of my hand. Perhaps such kindness to animals was to be expected in a land where felines have been honoured with mummification and worshipped as gods.

And perhaps I should have anticipated that the time spent sailing aboard the Aton would be as enjoyable as the hours spent ashore. Guests unwound on top deck loungers in the sun or shade, dipped into the pool a level below or took in the views from the privacy of their French balcony (every stateroom has one). I tended to stick to more air-conditioned comforts, be it the cozy library nook (which, like everywhere else onboard, features floor-to-ceilings windows) or the lounge. But no matter where I was, I could usually be found with another simple Egyptian pleasure: a mint lemonade. The secret is that the lemons are blended in whole – peel and all. I can still taste its refreshing tartness, like air conditioning in a glass.

After sailing up the Nile and witnessing all the ways Egyptians use the river – as a swimming pool, source of food and even, for a couple of enterprising men on boats who tried to sell souvenirs to my fellow cruise passengers, a marketplace – we arrived in Luxor.

Hot-air balloons float over houses and farms of Luxor, with the Valley of the Kings visible in the distance. Domini Clark/The Globe and Mail

Rising at a distressingly early hour the next morning, I vowed to overcome my fears and enjoy a sunrise hot-air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings. Soaring past the ancient tombs buried deep in inconspicuous limestone hills, imagining the secrets that lie within, was unforgettable. It was also fascinating to see the routines of another gloriously sunny day unfold. At a pace so languid as to almost feel like slow motion, we passed over mooing cows waiting to be milked, donkeys trying to cool off in streams, farmers carrying unwieldy piles of sugarcane on their backs and children waving from rooftops. What would their ancestors, forever resting nearby, make of my voyage in the sky, I wondered.

At the Luxor Temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site constructed in 1400 BC, wonder took several different forms. Columns and archways 16 metres high, every centimetre covered in hieroglyphics detailed enough to show feathers on geese and eyes on owls. A 2.7-kilometre gauntlet of watchful sphinxes that leads directly to Karnak Temple. Colossal statues of pharaohs so anatomically accurate they boast toenails. To learn that originally most of these surfaces were painted in vibrant colour – traces still remain in some of the more protected areas – made my mouth drop.

But just when I thought I would get lost (figuratively and literally) in the spectacle of it all, a surprisingly banal wall of carvings caught my eye. Here was a simple grid of shockingly straight lines. Inside some of the boxes was a mix of small vertical lines and upside-down U shapes.

I rushed to my guide. What did it all mean?

A 3,200-year-old, 36-foot-tall, 83-ton limestone statue of pharaoh Ramesses 11 towers over visitors in the entrance hall of the new Grand Egyptian Museum. Domini Clark/The Globe and Mail

They were tables to track offerings made to the gods, she explained. How much of each item, at what time.

So, essentially ancient Excel spreadsheets?

Exactly, she said.

And what, I ask you, could possibly be more everyday than that?

Viking’s 12-day Pharoahs to Pyramids itinerary starts and ends in Cairo, and includes roundtrip cruising on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, with multiple stops in between. All-inclusive pricing for 2024 starts at $8,399 a person and includes one complimentary shore excursion in each port; beer, wine and soft drinks with onboard lunch and dinner; internal flights; ground transfers and more. vikingrivercruisescanada.com

Flights to Cairo from Canada require a connection, typically through Munich, London or Zurich.

Currently, the Canadian government warns travellers to Egypt to exercise a high degree of caution. While “avoid all travel” advisories are in place for some regions, the typical Nile cruise itinerary avoids them anyway.

Opening mid-2024, the much-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum (construction started in 2005) promises to be another must-see in the country. Located two kilometres from the Pyramids of Giza, what will be the largest archeological museum complex in the world will showcase 100,000 artifacts, including the entire collection of King Tutankhamun’s treasures. For now, tourists can tour some non-gallery areas, including the Great Hall, the food court and the excellent gift shop.

The writer was a guest of Viking. It did not review or approve the story before publication.

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