A pod of orcas, often known as killer whales, attacked and sank a sailing yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar, which connects Spain and Morocco, according to ABC News.
Two people were on board when the incident took place. They were rescued by a Spanish rescue crew after the duo alerted them. The Alboran Cognac, a 50-foot yacht, was 15 miles (24 kilometers) off Cabo Espartel in Morocco when an unknown number of orcas began slamming it.
The crew members were rescued, but officials were unable to save the sinking boat
The crew members were rescued, but officials were unable to save the sinking boat.
GT Orca Atlantica, a conservation organization, reported that more than 700 killer whale assaults had occurred since 2020. It said that there are more than 37 orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar.
“During the summer and autumn of 2020, interaction events began to occur between several specimens of this species and vessels, mainly sailboats, both in the Strait of Gibraltar and in the waters of the Galician coast,” according to Spanish government officials. “These interactions have ranged from persistent approaches to ships to ramming the hull and rudder, causing various types of damage, which continue today.”
Maritime specialists do not yet understand why orcas attack these ships. However, some argue that the marine mammals may be targeting vessels for sport or because they feel threatened.
A Polish travel agency’s yacht was constantly struck by a herd of orcas for 45 minutes in October 2023, causing “major damage and leakage,” according to the company’s Facebook post. The boat ended up sinking.
Last year, killer whales disrupted a sailing race from the Netherlands to Italy, causing a 15-minute standoff with the animals. The crew was forced to drop its sails and make a ruckus to repel them.
