- A group of fifteen Iberian killer whales, also called gladis, were involved in the sinking of ships
A sailing ship off the coast of Gibraltar has become the first this year to be sunk by killer whales that have been targeting boats in the area since 2020.
Crew members of the Alboran Cognac boat called rescue services for help at around 9am on Sunday, saying their vessel had been damaged by killer whales 22 kilometers off Cape Spartel, at the southern entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, in Moroccan waters.
The sailors said they felt blows to the hull before their rudder was damaged and they noticed a leak that threatened to sink their 50-foot boat. El Pais reports.
They were quickly rescued around 10 a.m. by a nearby oil tanker, but the sailboat drifted away and sank after the orca attack.
Experts reportedly believe that the first shipwreck caused by killer whales should be attributed to fifteen Iberian killer whales, known as gladis.
White Gladis (left) and Black Gladis (right) – along with Gray Gladis – are involved in many of the attacks on ships on the Portuguese and Spanish coasts (2020 file image of the killer whales)
Crew members of the Alboran Cognac boat called rescue services for help around 9 a.m. on Sunday, saying their vessel had been damaged by killer whales 22 kilometers off Cape Spartel, at the southern entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, in Moroccan waters
During a terrifying encounter last June (pictured), a killer whale circles a luxury yacht before brutally ripping off the rudder, leaving the boat’s crew adrift off the coast of Gibraltar.
The group – led by the main culprits White Gladis, Black Gladis and Gray Gladis – moves between the north of the Iberian Peninsula and the Strait of Gibraltar and has destroyed several boats over the years.
They have been linked to a total of seven shipwrecks – five sailing boats and two fishing vessels – and hundreds of terrifying encounters in which they attacked boats in the area off the coast of Gibraltar, Spain, Portugal, France and Morocco.
Experts say ramming boats is just a game for the marine mammals and a sign of socializing rather than a fight for survival.
An Atlantic Orca Task Force (GTOA) has been established to manage the orca pod and has recorded at least 673 interactions – when the orcas approach boats, with or without contact – between the orca pod and ships since 2020.
A survey of marine mammal science in 2022 concluded that the attacks on small boats follow the same pattern: killer whales approach from the stern, disable the boat by hitting the rudder, and then lose interest.
The orcas may be teaching others how to chase and attack boats, especially their calves, experts say.
Some even think that one orca learned how to stop the boats, and then taught others how to do it.
Two killer whales attack Dieter Peschkes’ yacht off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula in 2021
Pictured is a killer whale attacking Alan Bruce’s yacht off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula in 2021
Just last year, dozens of ships were damaged in the attacks, which included footage of the killer whales tearing off the rudders and ramming into the sides of small sailboats.
In a terrifying encounter last June, a killer whale circles a luxury yacht before brutally ripping off the rudder, leaving the boat’s crew adrift off the coast of Gibraltar.
The ship, a 45-foot catamaran, was attacked during a delivery trip, with footage showing the whale biting off part of the boat, which is crucial to its steering.
The captain of the Bali 4.8, who has previously witnessed orca attacks in the area, said he noticed the “unusual movement of the boat” before seeing a group of four or five orcas emerge.