This is the terrifying moment a UK-bound cruise ship was smashed by a wave strong enough to knock its power out and send passengers sliding around.

MS Maud was in the middle of the North Sea at the tail end of a 14-day cruise to see the Northern Lights when it was caught in a fierce storm on Thursday.

After rocking up and down more and more ferociously, the ship was finally struck across the bow by an enormous wave.

CCTV from the deck shows the feed going dark immediately afterwards.

The loss of navigational functions meant a Danish rescue ship had to come and tow the Maud to Germany at low speed – potentially ruining Christmas plans for many passengers.

It’s thought there were dozens of Brits on board as the vessel sailed out from Tilbury in Essex and was due to return to the same port on Saturday.

The ship’s operator, HX, said is working to arrange ‘onward travel’ for passengers after they disembark in Germany.

The ship was sailing from Norway back to the UK when it was struck (Picture: Reuters)

The passenger who filmed the moment told MailOnline: ‘I had the bridge camera showing on the TV to try to stop dizziness and just randomly decided to film it! 

‘As soon as the wave struck, the TV screen went blank and the ship’s horn distress signal sounded so I knew something was wrong.’

As well as passengers, tables and chairs slid across the floor while pictures showed items from gift shops strewn across the ground after falling from shelves.

The ship’s 266 passengers and 131 crew members were safe, Danish rescuers have confirmed.

The rocking ship careened almost head-on into a colossal wave (Picture: DailyMail.com)

The bulk of the wave then hammered into the ship’s deck (Picture: DailyMail.com)

A spokesperson for HX said: ‘Yesterday afternoon, December 21, MS Maud reported a temporary loss of power after encountering a rogue wave. The ship was sailing towards Tilbury, UK from Florø, Norway when the incident occurred.

‘At this time, the ship has confirmed that no serious guest or crew injuries have been sustained as a result of the incident. The condition of the ship remains stable and the crew are able to sail under their own power.

‘Following ongoing safety checks and technical assessments, given the weather conditions, we decided to amend the planned sailing route. Across the fleet, there are thorough operational protocols in place and we always prioritise the safety of those onboard. 

‘The ship is currently sailing to Bremerhaven, Germany for disembarkation. Our team are working to arrange onward travel back home for guests onboard.’

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Hundreds of passengers face disruption to their Christmas plans as the ship must be towed back to Germany on Saturday,