"Killer" Cruise Liner (Princess Cruises) Strikes Again: THIRD ENDANGERED Whale's Body Found Under Giant Vessel's Bow

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

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 3:37 AM on 31st July 2010

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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.


Investigation: A dead adult female humpback whale is pinned to the bow of the Princess Cruises liner

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.

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* Experts warn dead whale pinned to Princess cruise ship will not be the last

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.


Officials remove the whale carcass from the vessel's bow


Second incident: A dead fin whale was discovered pinned to the Sapphire Princess last year


The humpback was hit by the luxury cruise liner near Douglas Island, Alaska


'We were surprised and concerned by this discovery, as the ship felt no impact,’ he said.

‘It is unknown how or when this could have happened, as we were not aware that any whales were sighted in close proximity to the ship when the whale was discovered.

'We have strict whale avoidance procedures in place when our ships are in the vicinity of marine life.’

The Sapphire Princess is on a seven-day Inside Passage round-trip voyage out of Seattle.

In 2007, the company paid $750,000 (£480,000) to settle a criminal charge related to a dead pregnant humpback found just outside Alaska's Glacier Bay in 2001.

That whale was found to have had its skull crushed.

Although Princess did not admit in the settlement to striking the whale, the company pleaded guilty to failing to operate one of its vessels, the Dawn Princess, at a safe speed around whales.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1298891/Cruise-liner-kills-end...