NEW YORK — A cruise ship entered a New York City port with a 45-foot dead whale off its bow, maritime authorities said.
The whale, identified as an endangered sei whale, was captured on the bow of the ship Saturday as it arrived in Brooklyn Harbor, said Andrea Gomez, spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A spokesperson for MSC Cruises said the whale was on the MSC Meraviglia, which docked in Brooklyn before sailing to ports in New England and Canada.
“We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an investigation into the whale,” cruise line officials said in a statement.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of all marine life,” the officials said, adding that Geneva-based MSC Cruises follows all rules designed to protect whales, such as changing routes in certain regions to avoid the animals are hit.
The dead whale was moved to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and towed to shore to allow better access to equipment and to perform a necropsy, Gomez said.
The autopsy, an autopsy on an animal, was performed Tuesday, Gomez said. Samples collected from the whale will help biologists determine whether it was already dead when it was struck by the ship, she said.
Sei whales are typically sighted in deeper waters far from the coastline, Gomez said. They are one of the largest whale species and are internationally protected.