spectacular collision between a cruise ship and an iceberg

Leaning on the deck of their cruise ship, passengers cannot believe their eyes: the ship has just hit an iceberg. The block of ice only protrudes one meter above the surface of the water, but when it turns over, the frozen mass is impressive. The cruise ship, with its 2,000 passengers on board, was traveling in Alaska (United States) when it hit the iceberg.

The passengers felt a jolt, and heard a noise. “I was surprised at the size of the iceberg. It looked small at first, but it got bigger and bigger when we saw it turn around“, confides Benjamin Talbott, passenger of the Norwegian Sun. Collisions are actually rare: no more than two per year. Icebergs are now monitored by radar and satellite planes. An international patrol is even responsible for spotting them, and transmit the information to the boats. When the collision occurs, however, the damage is serious. The cruise ship was brought back to Seattle (USA), to undergo repairs.