A Herd Of Killer Whales Sinks The Central Yacht Sailing In The Gibraltar Strait

JAKARTA - An unknown number of orca whales drowned a yacht after hitting it in Morocco's waters in the Gibraltar Strait, according to maritime rescue service last Sunday.

The attack, which has been trending in four years, occurred when the Alboran Cognac yacht, which is 15 meters long and carries two crew members, met with a herd of killer whales last Sunday last week at around 09.00 a.m. local time, the service said.

The crew reported that they felt a sudden impact on the hull and steering before the water began to seep into the ship. After informing rescue services, a nearby oil tanker took them on board and transported them to Gibraltar.

The cruise ship was left adrift and finally sank.

This incident is the latest example of repeated orca whales around the Gibraltar Strait separating Europe from Africa, off the Atlantic coast of Portugal and northwest of Spain.

Experts believe this incident involved a subpopulation of about 15 individuals named "Gladis".

According to the GTOA research group, which tracks the population of Iberian sub-species, has seen nearly 700 interactions since the orca attacks on ships in the region were first reported in May 2020.

Researchers are unsure about the causes of this behavior, with leading theories including this behavior being a manifestation of the pleasant mammal's curiosity, social sensitivities, or intentional targeting of what they consider to be competitors of their favorite prey, local blue-fin tuna.

It is known, although known as killer whales, endangered orcas are part of the dolphin family. They can measure up to eight meters (26 feet) and weigh up to six tons as adults.