A pod of killer whales has sunk a sailing boat in the Straits of Gibraltar

The sailing boat ‘Grazie Mamma II’ has sunk in the Strait of Gibraltar in a new episode of attack by killer whales that luckily has not resulted in any injuries.

Killer whale attacks have been occurring in the strait and also in the Spanish region of Galicia since July 2020. So far, these attacks have resulted in only sporadic damage, but now the killer whales have caused the first sinking.

According to the Polish company Morskie Mile, which specialises in tourist routes in various locations, the sailing boat, “was attacked by a pod of killer whales. They attacked the yacht for 45 minutes, causing serious damage and leaks”.

The events took place on October 31 and the rescue efforts made it possible to save the entire crew. “Despite attempts to bring the vessel to port by the captain, crew and SAR rescuers, port tugs and the Moroccan Navy, it sank near the entrance to the port of Tangier Med,” said the company Morskie Mile, while adding that, “the crew is healthy, unharmed and safe in Spain”.

In view of the alarm caused by these attacks, the organisation Conservation, Information and Study of Cetaceans (Circe) is collaborating with the Ministry for Ecological Transition in the tagging of the orcas.

The monitoring will make it possible to know the location of the specimens in the last few hours and to draw up a weekly map of the approximate area in which they have been moving. This information will be shared in order to try to minimise the risk of interaction, avoiding or reducing navigation in these areas.