Rogue elements

Research suggests that ‘freak’ waves of up to 30m high are causing disasters at sea. But the maritime industry faces claims that it is avoiding the re-engineering needed to cope. Richard Fisher reports

In 1995 off the coast of Newfoundland Captain Ronald Warwick encountered a wave the size of a building. His ship, the QE2, was cruising to New York with 3,000 passengers when Hurricane Luis hit, whipping up monster swells and unremitting gales. The crew then spotted something that made their stomachs churn: a ‘rogue’ wave over 29m high was fast approaching the ship. Warwick later said it felt like sailing into the white cliffs of Dover as the wave crashed into the ship.

Luckily the QE2 escaped relatively unscathed, but others have not been so fortunate. Only last week the tourist ship Voyager limped back to port with eight injured passengers and no communications after a heavy battering in stormy Mediterranean seas. In the midst of the storm, reports described a single wave so big it smashed the bridge windows.