Sapphire Princess Impales Whale On Whale Watching Cruise

July 27, 2009 (by Horatio Algren) According to reports by a cruise ship accident lawyer, the Sapphire Princess one of the Princess Cruise Lines ships while loaded with passengers on a whale watching cruise struck a whale in the Alaskan waters outside of the Canadian port it was heading toward.

The fin whale that was struck by the cruise liner was impaled by the bow of the ship and is reported to be approximately 70 feet long when it docked at Canada Place terminal.

Tymac Launch Service spokesperson Craig Delahunt stated that the ship coming through the water is like a train and when a whale is struck it is probable that it will break the whales back killing it almost instantly. Delahunt said this is because the bow of the ship is like a spear; this is how the fin whale was carried by the Sapphire Princess to where it docked at Canada Place terminal.

According to the Princess Cruise line, they have stated it is a strict policy to avoid whales and other marine life and there are guidelines in place for ships that sight whales nearby, including altering their course and reducing the speed of the boat.

The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans spokesperson Paul Cottrell stated that the marine mammal response team which included divers used slings to pull the impaled whale off of the ships and towed it across the Burrad Inlet. From there the fin whale was loaded on a barge where it was then taken to the Fisheries lab at Vancouver Island.

A necropsy was performed to determine if the whale was alive at the time it was impaled by the Sapphire Princess. This could take weeks before it is known whether the whale was already dead when it was struck by the ship, according to Cottrell. Tissue samples were taken and are being analyzed by scientists. Ehline Law Injury Lawyer PC loves bringing you the latest news in cruise ship fiasco.