Cruise ship hits whale ahead of Bermuda voyage
A 45-foot whale was hit by the cruise ship the Norwegian Breakaway ahead of a voyage to Bermuda, New York authorities have confirmed.
Around 4,500 passengers were stranded after the giant liner got stuck in Manhattan’s Hudson River at the weekend due to steering and propulsion problems. The megaship was returning to Manhattan after a seven-day trip through the Bahamas and Florida.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) later received reports that the ship hat hit a female Sei whale, although the propulsion and steering problems the ship suffered were not a result of the collision, according to Norwegian Cruise Lines.
“We take every precaution to avoid marine life and were saddened by the recent discovery,” the company said in a statement, adding that it continues to cooperate fully with US authorities.
After performing a necropsy, NOAA investigators said it was not clear whether the whale was still alive when it was hit by the ship.
The Breakaway was eventually towed into port by the US Coast Guard.
According to news agency Reuters, the mammal was picked up on Monday near the Brooklyn Army terminal in the Bay Ridge channel by the US Army Corps of Engineers and towed to a marine terminal in New Jersey.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, NOAA investigating officer Jeffrey Ray told the international news agency.
The incident did not affect Breakaway’s Bermuda schedule. The liner left Manhattan on Sunday, docking at Heritage Wharf, Dockyard, yesterday morning. She is set to depart for Manhattan tomorrow afternoon.
Bermuda should consider legislating safe havens for whales in local waters, according to researcher Andrew Stevenson.
Commenting after a protected sei whale was reportedly struck by the Norwegian Breakaway, Mr Stevenson noted that cruise vessels pass through the Challenger Banks on their way to the Island.
“This is one of our highly populated, high density areas for whales,” he said. “There are certain areas where at certain times of the year we see high concentrations of humpback whales. The point is that with cruise ships coming through, especially during whale season, there would be a very good chance of a whale being hit.
“I would say it would be a no-brainer to restrict cruise ships from Challenger Banks while whales are there.”
Dead whales turn up in Bermuda water “almost every year”, he said — and local scientists often aren’t sure of what may have contributed to their deaths.
