Orcas sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar

(May 13, 2024) – An unknown number of orcas have sunk a sailing yacht after ramming it in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar, a new attack in what has become a trend in the past four years. The vessel Alboran Cognac, listed as a 15-meter Sun Odyssey 519 on charter sites, had two people onboard when it encountered the killer whales at 9:00 am. local time yesterday.

The passengers reported feeling sudden blows to the hull and rudder before water started seeping into the ship. After alerting the rescue services, a nearby oil tanker took them onboard and transported them to Gibraltar. The yacht was left adrift and eventually sank.

The incident is the latest example of recurring orca rammings around the Gibraltar Strait that separates Europe from Africa and off the Atlantic coast of Portugal and northwestern Spain. – Full report