A cruise ship arrived at Port Brooklyn/NYC New York with a 13-meter dead whale entangled across its bow, according to marine authorities.
The deceased whale, identified as an endangered sei whale, was discovered caught on the bow upon the ship's arrival on Saturday, May 4th, as confirmed by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) fisheries spokesperson Andrea Gomez.
A video shows the whale's carcass suspended from the bow, set against the backdrop of the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline.
The whale's remains were relocated to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and subsequently towed ashore to facilitate a necropsy and provide better access to necessary equipment, explained Gomez.
On Tuesday, a team from the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society conducted the necropsy, determining that the deceased animal was a mature female exhibiting signs of tissue trauma near its right shoulder blade and a fracture in its right flipper, as reported in a Facebook post by the organization on Wednesday.
Biologists will further analyze tissue and bone samples to ascertain whether the whale was already deceased before the ship's encounter.
Sei whales typically inhabit deeper offshore waters, away from coastal areas, as stated by NOAA's Gomez. They are considered one of the largest whale species and are subject to international protection.
A representative from MSC Cruises confirmed that the whale was discovered on MSC Meraviglia ship, which had docked in Brooklyn before proceeding to ports in New England and Canada. The ship subsequently arrived in Saint John on Wednesday.
MSC Meraviglia's current cruise is 14-day, round-trip Bermuda, Canada New England. The itinerary started on April 28 and ends on May 12.
In a statement, MSC officials said:
"We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an examination of the whale.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of any marine life," the officials said, adding that the Geneva-based MSC Cruises follows all regulations designed to protect whales, such as altering itineraries in certain regions to avoid hitting the animals.
For more MSC Meraviglia incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.