Hold tight! The wave was so steep that the anchor pointed up at an acute angle before it plunged down the wave again in angry seas when storm Ophelia hit Ireland
Hold tight! The wave was so steep that the anchor pointed up at an acute angle before it plunged down the wave again in angry seas when storm Ophelia hit Ireland
An awe-inspiring video has emerged online of a tanker battling brutal, raging seas when storm Ophelia hit Ireland on Monday.

The shocking footage was filmed from an Italian tanker in the sea outside Cork harbour in the south of Ireland.

The video, captured by Cataldo Gianluca, shows the enormous tanker dwarfed by towering mountains of surging water.

The powerful wave grows larger but the tanker ploughs on, riding so high on the steep wave that the nose of the ship points upwards at an alarmingly acute angle.

The video, shared on Twitter, then cuts out at but the tanker survived the plunge back down the wave and managed to weather the storm.


Ophelia battered Ireland this week, leaving three people dead and tens of thousands living without power for days as homes and infrastructure were damaged.

Although the Twitter post stated that the video was taken in Cork Harbour, a representative from the Port of Cork confirmed that the video was not taken in the Harbour itself but probably a significant distance offshore.

He said that despite the harsh weather, Cork harbour and the port escaped with only minor damage.

People reacted with shock and awe to the incredible video on Twitter.

Hughes‏ wrote: 'Been in a storm like this ...incredibly scary.'

Rachael Porter‏ wrote: 'Just watching that has made me feel seasick!'

Diarmuid Kelleher‏ wrote: 'According to vessels tracker. She was Cork bound but headed back out to sea before the storm. These ships are better off at sea in weather.'

Wif Stenger‏ wrote: 'Love that the captain just says 'bring me some more espresso.'

Al Manny‏ wrote: 'Inside the harbour!' If that's inside thE harbour it must have been armaf*****geddon outside it.'

Patrick Kenealy‏ wrote: 'That ship spent yesterday nearly 10 miles out to sea riding out the storm and was no where near Cork Harbour!'

While other people focused on the ship window wipers, which flash across the screen as they wick moisture from the cabin window.

Darragh Dunne ‏wrote: 'A tanker worth god knows how many hundreds of millions and the windscreen wiper is like something off a 1975 ford 5000 tractor me granda had.'

The largest wave ever recorded off Ireland was registered near Waterford during the recent storm.

It grew as tall as a high rise building, reaching a dizzying 17.81m or 58.4 feet, the Irish Independent reports.