[1/6] A whale swims alongside a boat in the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain, May 24, 2023, in this still from a social media video. April Boyes/Instagram @ april_georgina/via Portal
MADRID, May 25 (Portal) – Killer whales severely damaged a sailboat off the coast of southern Spain, the local sea rescue service said on Thursday, contributing to dozens of orca attacks on ships recorded off the coasts of Spain and Portugal so far this year .
In the early hours of Thursday, a group of orcas broke the rudder and punctured the hull after ramming into the Mustique en route to Gibraltar, prompting the crew of four to seek help from Spanish authorities, a spokesman for the Sea Rescue Service said .
The service used a rapid-response vessel and a helicopter with a bilge pump to assist the 20-metre (66-foot) British-flagged vessel, he added. The Mustique was towed to the port of Barbate in the province of Cadiz for repairs.
According to research group GTOA, which tracks populations of the Iberian orca subspecies, the incident follows at least 20 interactions this month alone in the Strait of Gibraltar between small vessels and the highly social predators at the top. In 2022, there were 207 reported interactions, GTOA data showed.
At the beginning of May, the sailing yacht Alboran Champagne was similarly hit by three orcas about half a nautical mile from Barbate. The ship could not be towed as it was completely submerged and left adrift to sink.
Guidelines from the Spanish Ministry of Transport dictate that if ships observe changes in orca behavior – such as sudden changes in direction or speed – they should leave the area as quickly as possible and avoid further disturbance of the animals during maneuvers.
Any interaction between a ship and an orca must be reported to authorities, the ministry added.
Although they are known as killer whales, the endangered killer whales belong to the dolphin family. As adults, they can reach a length of up to eight meters and a weight of up to six tons.
Reporting by David Latona; Adaptation by Charlie Devereux and Barbara Lewis
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