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Killer whale attack sinks sailboat in southern Spain
The damaged boat was abandoned in the Strait of Gibraltar, where it later sank
A sailboat carrying two passengers sank off the Strait of Gibraltar on Sunday May 12 after it was repeatedly attacked by a pod of orcas, more commonly known as killer whales. The crew members were rescued by an oil tanker but the ‘Alboran Cognac’ suffered too much damage and couldn’t be saved.
The 15-metre-long ship radioed Salvamento Marítimo shortly after 9am, reporting that they felt several blows to the hull when they were around 14 miles from Cape Spartel. According to the sailors, the killer whales had caused extensive damage to the rudder and the boat was taking on water.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Tarifa advised the men, both Spanish, to put on their life jackets and switch on the Automatic Identification System (AIS) so that other ships in the vicinity could locate them.
The Spanish authorities contacted Morocco, since the sailboat was floating in Moroccan waters, and the Helimer 223 helicopter was deployed from Gibraltar to search for the vessel. In the meantime, the ‘Lascaux’ oil tanker happened to be sailing close by and picked up the crew members.
Shortly after 10am, the Tarifa Coordination Centre received confirmation that the tanker had two crew members on board. The sailboat, beyond repair, was left adrift and later sank.
The waters off the coast of Spain are home to several pods of orcas and run-ins between boats and whales are far from uncommon; however, this is one of the first reported killer whale attacks this year.
Although they’re usually called ‘attacks’, most experts don’t believe the orcas are intentionally trying to damage ships or harm those on board. It’s far more likely that the enormous mammals are simply curious and sowing off their playful natures. Another school of thought is that female killer whales use the boats to teach their young how to hunt.
Image: Archive
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