Spain tell mariners to stay close to the shore after orca attack
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Officials in Spain are warning mariners after a killer whale was responsible for sinking a boat in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Small vessels have been warned to stick to the coastline around Spain and the Strait of Gibraltar after another Killer Whale attack.
Authorities in Spain issued the warning to avoid often-scary interactions with killer whales during summer months.
In the latest incident, two people aboard a 15-meter (50-foot) boat in Moroccan waters requested help from Spain’s maritime rescue service on Sunday after reporting that an orca knocked the craft several times while sailing near Cape Spartel, damaging its rudder and causing a leak.
Officials are now suggesting that mariners remain close to the shore when traveling through an area between the Gulf of Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar.
The passengers felt sudden blows to the hull and rudder before water started seeping into the vessel.
They were picked up by a passing oil tanker summoned by the rescuers, and their boat later sank.
It is the latest in a string of attacks in the region that seem to have become more frequent last year. In May 2023 alone there were 20 incidents between the highly social apex predators and small vessels sailing in the Strait of Gibraltar, according to the Atlantic Orca Working Group (GTOA). Dozens of orca attacks on ships were also recorded on Spanish and Portuguese coasts.
GT Orca Atlantica tracks incidents involving orcas and boats. The group said that there are dozens of instances a year of boats interacting with orcas.
“In many testimonials, orcas were recorded as pushing the boat, accelerating the speed of the boat, pushing it forward,” the group says. This pushing took place when the ship was moving or when the ship was stationary, so orcas push the ship regardless of the speed of the ship.”
