'Killer' cruise liner strikes again: THIRD endangered whale found under giant vessel's bow [View All]

[Dennis Donovan]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1298891/Cruise-liner-kills-endangered-humpback-whale-Alaska-trip.html

A rare humpback whale has been found dead after it was hit by a luxury cruise liner near Douglas Island, Alaska.
The 43ft-long female humpback was found stuck on the bow of the Sapphire Princess after becoming attached overnight.
U.S. Coast Guard officials detained the liner for three hours to open an investigation and remove the whale’s body.

It is the second incident in a year for the Princess Cruises vessel after a dead fin whale was discovered pinned to its bow as it arrived at the Port of Vancouver from an Alaska voyage. Fin whales, like humpbacks, are classified as endangered.

Biologists and marine-mammal experts were yesterday examining the whale carcass and experts will conduct a necropsy today to try to determine the cause of death. A Princess spokesman said it was 'fully cooperating' with the investigation.
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Related:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1298928/Dead-whale-pinned-Princess-cruise-ship-iin-Alaska.html

The whale that was discovered dead at the bow of a Princess Cruises liner earlier this week is the third such creature to have been involved in an accident with the company's vessels in a decade, it has been revealed.

The whale, believed to be an adult female humpback, was noticed as the Sapphire Princess sailed through Alaskan waters near Juneau - a popular area for cruises.
The latest incident has highlighted the danger cruise ships can pose to the endangered mammals, with experts warning that 'whale strikes' by vessels are one of the biggest threats to the species' population.

Despite their size, the mammals are often too small to be detected by ships' radars.

Crew typically rely on actual whale sightings and reports from other ships to determine whether the animals are in the area, according to website www.cruisecritic.co.uk, which has consulted cruise-liner captains on the issue.

Cruise ships typically reduce their speed or alter their course when passing through an area where whales have been sighted, or where whale activity is likely.
However, the discovery of the dead humpback - which is thought to have become attached to the bow overnight before being spotted on Wednesday morning - calls into question the effectiveness of these avoidance techniques.
Princess Cruises has confirmed its surprise at the discovery of the 43ft carcass, saying that the ship felt no impact, and that there had been no whale sightings reported in close proximity to the vessel.
A statement added: 'We take our responsibility to be good stewards of the marine environment very seriously, and have clear guidelines for our ships on how to operate if whales are sighted nearby, which include altering course and reducing speed as required.'