Freak wave batters cruise liner off Florida

MIAMI - A freak wave about 21m high smashed into a cruise liner as the vessel returned to New York from the Bahamas, slightly injuring four passengers and flooding 62 cabins, the ship's owners said on Sunday.

Norwegian Cruise Line, part of the Malaysian Genting Group's Star Cruises Ltd., said the wave shattered two windows on the Norwegian Dawn at daybreak on Saturday off the Florida coast.

"The safety and integrity of the ship was in no way compromised by this incident," the world's third-largest cruise company said in a statement.

The boat, which carried more than 2200 passengers, was diverted to Charleston, South Carolina, for repairs and left early on Sunday for New York, the company said.

The New York Daily News said the wave wrecked windows on the ninth and 10th floors of the towering 305m-long luxury liner, which entered service in December 2002.

The vessel had weathered stormy seas on Friday night and entered calmer waters.

"The sea had actually calmed down when the wave seemed to come out of thin air at daybreak," company spokeswoman Susan Robison told the newspaper.

"Our captain, who has 20 years on the job, said he never saw anything like it."

Company officials did not immediately return calls seeking additional comment.

- REUTERS