A yacht sank after a 45-minute assault by a bunch of killer whales whereas crusing within the Strait of Gibraltar.

A yacht sank after being attacked by a pod of killer whales for 45 minutes, a crusing firm mentioned, within the newest assault by marine mammals on boats this 12 months.

Polish tour operator Morskie Mile – which suggests “nautical miles” – mentioned in a Fb publish that its yacht Grazie Mamma II was attacked whereas crusing within the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco on October 31.

The corporate mentioned that the whales attacked the boat’s rudder, inflicting extreme harm and a leak. Regardless of the captain’s try to maneuver the boat to the closest port, and a rescue try by which the Moroccan Navy participated, the yacht sank close to the doorway to Tangier Med Port, about an hour’s drive east of Tangier.

The corporate mentioned in a press release quoted by the Polish community NBC Information that the boat crew was not injured. The identical assertion was posted on the corporate’s web site by firm proprietor Lech Lewandowski.

“For us, this yacht was every thing that was nice about offshore crusing,” he mentioned.

“Lengthy-lasting friendships had been fashioned on board. We sailed this yacht by means of essentially the most stunning locations in Europe and the Atlantic archipelago, skilled many yacht captains, found the gorgeous and the unknown, tasted the specialties of the Mediterranean and sailed, sailed, sailed,” Lewandowski continued. .

The corporate mentioned it plans to honor upcoming cruise bookings with “Pals Yachts.” Future voyages will happen within the Baltic Sea, Norway, Italy and the Canary Islands, in response to the corporate’s web site. A single journey can value PLN 1,800 ($432).

In Could, it emerged that killer whales had been accountable for attacking and sinking three boats in southern Europe. Encounters between killer whales and people have elevated since 2020. Researchers sayhowever no human deaths have been reported.

Elevated orca exercise has spawned a slew of memes on-line this 12 months, with some claiming to have joined “orca wars” alongside killer whales.

In September, a Russian boat on a round-the-world journey sank after a protracted assault by small sharks.