A pod of orcas has sunk a sailboat in the Strait of Gibraltar. The events occurred on October 31 when a group of cetaceans hit a boat known as ‘Grazie Mamma II’. After the collision, the sailboat ended up sinking and its crew had to be evacuated. This is one of the few interactions of this type that results in the sinking of a ship, since in the vast majority of cases the animals do not cause damage to the affected vessels.
As reported on social networks by the Polish company Morskie Mile, specialized in tourist routes through different points, including the Strait, The sailboat “was attacked by a pod of orcas. They hit the steering fin for 45 minutes, causing serious damage and leaks“. “Despite attempts to bring the vessel to port by the captain, crew and rescuers from the SAR, port tugboats and the Moroccan Navy, sank near the entrance to the port of Tangier Med“, explains the company, which emphasizes that “The crew is healthy, unharmed and safe now in Spain“.
‘Attacks’ on ships
Orca attacks on sailboats have been occurring in the Strait of Gibraltar and Galicia since July 2020. This is a phenomenon for which experts and researchers are still seeking an explanation for the presence of cetaceans in the Strait of Gibraltar, some of them on their migratory passage during the summer and others settled in families in the area.
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Given the alarm caused by these episodes of attacks, the organization for Conservation, Information and Study on Cetaceans (Circe) collaborates with the Ministry for the Ecological Transition in the marking of orcas. Monitoring will allow us to know the location of the specimens in the last hours and prepare a weekly map of the approximate area in which they have been moving during that period, explains Circe in a statement.
This information will be shared with the competent administrationss, which will disseminate it for the knowledge of sailors in order to try to minimize the risk of interaction, avoiding or reducing navigation through said areas. So far, these attacks They had only resulted in sporadic damageYes, but now the orcas have already caused the first sinking of a sailboat in the Strait.