Orcas sink yacht after attack in Moroccan waters

A pack of killer whales attacked a 50-foot yacht carrying two people off Moroccan waters on Sunday.

Quoting Spain's rescue agency, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the pair reported the attack around 9:00 AM near the Strait of Gibraltar. The two people were aboard a yacht named Alboran Cognac when they felt blows to the hull.

The killer whales caused damage to the vessel's rudder, which led to water ingress. After reporting the attack, the pair was instructed to put on life jackets and activate their GPS locators in preparation for evacuation.

Spanish and Moroccan rescue agencies were alerted and began search operations. An oil tanker located near the yacht managed to rescue the two people 14 miles off Cape Spartel in northern Morocco, according to a news release from the Spanish Maritime Safety and Rescue Agency (SASEMAR).

The yacht, owned by Spain-based Alboran Charter, was left adrift and sank soon after the rescue operation.

This is not the first time orcas have attacked ships. According to the same source, at least 15 orcas have interacted with hundreds of boats in the waters off Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, sinking some of them in the past four years.

The research group Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlántica (GTOA) has recorded an average of 168 interactions per year since 2020. Since the start of this year alone, the group has reported 26 interactions involving killer whales in the region.

Scientists studying orca behavior still don't understand the motives behind these attacks. Some argue that orcas may be attacking boats due to a lack of prey, while others believe the attacks are a form of curiosity or playfulness.