Killer whales sink sailing ship
Two mariners encountered distress near the coast of Morocco on a Sunday. Orcas had caused a hole in their yacht and disrupted their rudder prior to these events. This is not the first case of orcas sinking a sailing boat in the area.
Reports from Spanish media claim that orcas have once more submerged a sailing yacht close to Gibraltar. The two sailors of the 15-meter yacht, "Alborán Cognac," detected dull hits against their boat's hull around 26 kilometers off Cape Spartel, at the south entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, as stated by Spanish newspaper "El País," 20Minutos, and other outlets, citing the Spanish Maritime Rescue Service.
The rudder blade was hindered by the blows. When water subsequently entered the watercraft, the sailors frantically called for help. A rescue helicopter was dispatched from Spain and the nearby tanker "MT Lascaux" was summoned to help the stricken vessel, according to "El País," quoting the Ministry of Transport in Madrid. An hour following the distress call, the tanker safely plucked the shipwrecked mariners from the water. Unfortunately, the yacht couldn't be saved and sank shortly after. This was the seventh such occurrence since 2020, as marine mammals had formerly sunk four sailing boats and two Moroccan fishing boats.
Researchers who study the behavior of these intelligent animals speculate that the orcas are part of a 37-member group living between the north of the Iberian Peninsula and the Strait of Gibraltar in the south. It is unclear why the animals have repeatedly targeted the boats since 2020. While some believe they may have simply wanted to engage in play, others hypothesize that the animals might be responding to a negative interaction with a ship. "El País" suggests the latter, but without a clear understanding.
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- The international community expressed concern over the increasing number of sea rescue operations required due to shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea, following the sinking of yet another sailing yacht off the coast of Gibraltar.
- Several animal rescue organizations have been calling for further research into the behavior of orcas and other marine mammals after multiple incidents of shipwrecks nearby, including off the shore of Morocco and near Gibraltar in the Mediterranean Sea.
- Despite the international efforts to prevent shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea, the diverse marine life, including endangered animals like dolphins and sea turtles, continues to face threats due to human activities and environmental factors, with shipwrecks being just one of them.
Source: www.ntv.de
