A passenger aboard the cruise ship MS Marco Polo was killed Friday after the vessel was reportedly hit by a “freak wave”.
The Marco Polo is chartered by Cruise & Maritime Voyages, a relatively new and privately owned cruise line based out of Britain.
A statement released Friday by Cruise & Maritime Voyages said that an elderly person had died and another was airlifted from the vessel after it was hit by a “freak wave during adverse sea conditions” as it entered the English Channel.
The ship was en route from the Azores to its home port in Tilbury, England and was carrying 735 passengers and 349 crew members, the cruise line statement.
“Our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who has sadly died,” the Cruise & Maritime Voyages said in a statement posted to its Twitter.
The 22,080 grt MS Marco Polo can carry 800 passengers and is flagged in the Bahamas. The ship is managed by Global Maritime Group Inc. of Greece.
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