Killer whales have severely damaged a ship off the coast of southern Spain, the local maritime rescue service announced today. This is just one of dozens of orca attacks on vessels, which have been recorded so far this year on the Spanish and Portuguese coasts, Reuters reported.
Photo: RAS Serbia / RAS Serbia
It is said to have happened in the early hours of the morning, when a group of orcas broke the rudder and breached the hull after plowing into the Mustique, which was en route to Gibraltar, prompting the four-man crew to call Spanish authorities for help, he said. spokesman for the Maritime Rescue Service. He added that the service quickly sent an emergency response vessel and a helicopter to the scene to help the 20-meter-long ship, which sailed under the British flag.
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The Mustique was towed to the port of Barbate, in the province of Cádiz, for repairs. According to research group GTOA, which monitors Iberian orca populations, the incident is one of at least 20 unwanted encounters this month alone in the Strait of Gibraltar between small vessels and the highly social predators. According to the group’s data, in 2022 there were 207 reported contacts between these marine mammals and humans.
(Tanyug)
