Moment terrified passengers sit in lifejackets as enormous 70ft waves crash into UK-bound cruise ship

This is the terrifying moment passengers sit in their life jackets as huge 70-foot waves crash into a stranded cruise on the North Sea.

The ship was a Norwegian ship that takes tourists along parts of the coastline where larger, traditional boats cannot reach.

However, waves of 22 meters high caused by Storm Pia caused the boat to malfunction and left the passengers stranded.

The video shows panicked people desperately holding on to chairs and tables as the boat lurches.

One person can be heard shouting: 'Get on the ground', before huge 70-foot waves in the storm are then shown up close.

The footage ends with a look at the passengers as they wait for the boat in their life jackets.

It was previously revealed that a British grandmother and grandfather were trapped on the ship.

Brian Launder, 75, was on board the MS Maud with his wife Carole to celebrate her 70th birthday on their first ever cruise. Now the couple fears they won't be home in time for Christmas.

MS Maud departed Tilbury Docks on 9 December but encountered rough waters and lost its engine power and all navigation equipment on 21 December.

Mr Launder, from Richmond, North Yorkshire, said he saw waves reaching their cabin window despite being on deck floor five and water rushing through the corridors.

He said: 'We thought we would be here at Christmas. At one point they were preparing the lifeboats.

'We left on December 9. The finish would be on December 23.

'We spent many hours without power.

'We were talking to the officers and they estimated the waves were fifteen to twenty meters high.

'The waves came to our window on deck five. We were worried when the water came through the door.”

The trip was aborted to avoid the storm, but strong winds overtook them, causing high waves to wipe away the ship's power.

Mr Launder added: 'My wife was so calm, she helped this lady.

'She solved it. We were afraid that we would be here for Christmas, we didn't know what would happen. We lost power on the engines.'

“We've lost all communications and navigation.”

'A fishing boat pulled up and tried to help with communications.

“A gingerbread house has been knocked down. A table had been destroyed. There were chairs damaged and tables on the floor.”

Despite the treacherous conditions, fortunately only one person was injured, Mr Launder said.

He continued, “She had a baby in her arms, but she was flying.

“Captain had to move the bridge to the passenger lounge because three windows were blown out by a wave.

'The ship was controlled from the engine room. There was a rescue ship alongside that provided navigation.'

The cruise ship was towed back to Bremerhaven. Brian and Carole had to travel back to Hamburg at 3am today for an early morning flight to Frankfurt and then finally back to the UK.

The couple land at Heathrow at 3.45pm but they fear they will not make it back to their son's home in time for Christmas.

The grandad-of-four added: 'Apart from the drama we actually quite enjoyed it.

'We've never been on a cruise ship before. I would definitely go there again, the crew was fantastic.

'It went in and around all the passages in Norway and all the small places where large cruise ships cannot go.

'We have to fly from Hamburg tomorrow morning at 10am. Then from Frankfurt to Heathrow at 3.45pm, then to Tilbury for the car and then on to Worcestershire.

“We knew a storm was coming, we just didn't know it would be this bad.”