Killer Whales Sink Yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar

Killer whales have once again targeted and sunk a yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar.

A pod of killer whales attacked a sailing yacht off the coast of Morocco on Oct. 31, causing unrepairable damage that eventually sunk the vessel.

The vessel was being operated by Polish tour agency Morskie Mile when the 45-minute attack began. The whales attacked the steering fin for the duration of the attack, causing major damage and leakage according to a translated Facebook post by Morskie Mile.

The captain, crew, rescuers from search and rescue, port tugs, and even the Moroccan Navy attempted to help bring the yacht to port, but the vessel eventually sank near the entrance of the Port of Tanger-Med. The crew on board the vessel were all safely removed before it sank.

“We sailed on this yacht around the most beautiful places in Europe and the Atlantic archipelagos, trained numerous sea stewards, discovered the beautiful and the unknown, tasted Mediterranean specialties and sailed,” Morskie Mile wrote on Facebook. “Love of the sea always wins and friendships remain with us.”

This isn’t the first Orca attack that has occurred in the Strait of Gibraltar. Boats competing in The Ocean Race were pushed, nudged, and bit at in June.

Tagged attack, killer whales, Orcas