Orcas sink yacht in Atlantic – crew rescued by helicopter

Before Gibraltar
Rescue by helicopter: Two orcas sink sailing yacht in the Atlantic

According to Spanish media reports, orcas have one again Sailing yacht sunk near Gibraltar. The two crew members of the 15 meter yacht “Alborán Cognac” initially noticed dull knocks against the hull on Sunday morning about 26 kilometers off Cape Spartel in Morocco at the southern entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, reported the Spanish newspaper “El País”, the portal ” 20Minutos” and other media on Monday, citing the Spanish maritime rescue service. The rudder blade was damaged. When water entered the boat, the sailors made an emergency call.

A helicopter took off from Spain and the tanker “MT Lascaux”, which was traveling nearby, was asked to come to the aid of the stricken ship, the newspaper wrote, citing the Ministry of Transport in Madrid. An hour after the emergency call, the shipwrecked people were safely taken on board by the tanker. However, the yacht could not be salvaged and it sank shortly afterwards. It was the seventh such incident since 2020.

What’s behind the orca “attacks”?

Experts who study the behavior of the intelligent animals believe that the orcas belong to a group of 37 marine mammals that live between the north of the Iberian Peninsula and the Strait of Gibraltar in the south, the newspaper reported. It is not known why the orcas have repeatedly targeted the boats since 2020. Although there is always talk of “attacks”, researchers prefer to speak of “interactions” because the reason for this behavior of killer whales, which is only observed in this area of ​​the sea, is not known. So it is possible that the animals just wanted to play. But it could also be a reaction to a negative experience with a ship.

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DPA