About Post:
Dozens of incidents involving groups of orcas and boats have been reported off the Spanish and Portuguese coasts so far this year.
Killer whales severely damaged a sailing boat off the coast of southern Spain, the local maritime rescue service has said, adding to dozens of attacks by orcas on vessels recorded so far this year off Spanish and Portuguese coasts.
The incident follows at least 20 interactions this month alone in the Strait of Gibraltar between small vessels and killer whales, according to the Atlantic Orca Working Group-GTOA, which tracks populations of the Iberian orca subspecies.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, a group of orcas broke the rudder and pierced the hull after ramming into the Mustique as it sailed to Gibraltar, prompting the sailing boat’s crew of four to contact Spanish authorities for help, a spokesman for the maritime rescue service said.
The rescue service deployed a rapid-response vessel and a helicopter carrying a bilge pump to assist the 20-metre (66 feet) vessel, which was sailing under the United Kingdom’s flag, the spokesman said.
The Mustique was towed to the port of Barbate, in the Spanish province of Cadiz, for repairs.
The incident follows at least 20 interactions this month alone in the Strait of Gibraltar between small vessels and the highly social apex predators. In 2022, there were 207 reported interactions, GTOA data showed.