44-foot whale found dead on bow of cruise ship as it came into New York

A 44-foot endangered whale was found dead on the bow of a cruise ship as it sailed into New York City on Saturday.

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The whale — a female Sei whale — was discovered as MSC Cruises’ Meraviglia docked at the Port of Brooklyn, according to The Associated Press.

“We can confirm with deep regret that on Saturday a whale was discovered on the bow of our ship as the vessel approached the port of New York,” an MSC spokesperson said in a statement.

“We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an examination of the whale,” they added.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of any marine life. We have comprehensive measures in place to help avoid collisions, such as training all our deck officers with the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) and we follow regulations designed to protect whales and other marine life,” the statement continued.

“This includes altering itineraries in certain regions to avoid whales and we will continue to evaluate and update our procedures with our partners and the authorities,” the company said.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Sei whales are endangered. They are typically found in deeper waters far from the coastline, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society said on Facebook.

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society performed a necropsy on the whale, but has not yet determined if the animal was dead when the ship hit it or whether it was killed by the impact.

The whale was towed to shore at Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society said in a Facebook post that a “necropsy examination (animal autopsy) revealed evidence of tissue trauma along the right shoulder blade region and a right flipper fracture. The whale’s gastrointestinal tract was also full of food.”

“Most of the other organs were sampled as well for toxicology and other life history studies,” the message added. “The tissue and bone samples collected will help biologists determine if the vessel interaction occurred pre or post mortem,”

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