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Portugal (South), Sines: Yacht Sinks after Orca Interaction

Five crew members were rescued from a yacht that sank after what was considered to be an interaction with Orcas offshore from the Portugese port of Sines, according to a statement from the Portugese Navy.

Published 2 years ago

According to the Navy, the incident occurred on July 31 about 11kms (six miles) from the port of Sines. The crew members were rescued by the fishing vessel “Festas André” that was nearby, in an operation that was co-ordinated by the Portugese Navy, in conjunction with the Captain of the Port of Sines.

“The Navy, through the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Lisbon, in conjunction with the Captain of the Port of Sines, coordinated, the rescue of five crew members who were on the life raft of their sailboat after it sunk following an interaction with orcas 11 km off the coast”, the statement said.

“The alert for the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Lisbon was given shortly after midnight by the sailboat itself, which indicated that it was taking on water after an encounter with orcas.

“The fishing vessel “Festas André” was immediately engaged, which carried out the rescue of the five people on board, and a vessel from the Sines Lifeguard Station that accompanied the fishing vessel to the port of Sines, where it docked safely at 02:43”, the Navy statement concluded.

There are rules that must be followed when sighting Orca and The Navy reiterated advice from authorities including the National Maritime Authority and the Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation (ICNF) in a post on its Facebook page:

“Interaction with these mammals occurs mainly due to the curious behavior of juvenile Orcas, which are attracted to the moving and noisy vessel structures, such as the rudder and propeller and can get too close to the vessels. In the event of sighting these mammals, all sailors are advised to turn off the engine, in order to inhibit the rotation of the propeller and immobilize the rudder door, thus demotivating these mammals to interact with the movement of the boat.”

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Orcas Sink Boat (Marinha Portuguesa Facebook Post)

Orca Damage 20 Boats in One Month (Noonsite June 2022)

Iberian Peninsula: Online Reporting Platform Launched to Register Orca Interactions (Noonsite June 2022)

Las orcas provocan daños en 20 veleros en el Estrecho en solo un mes (Europesur.Es)

Clarification on What Tactics Used by Yachts to Repel Orca are Forbidden by Spanish Law (Noonsite)

For more Noonsite news about Orcas encounters, click here.

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Atlantic Orca Working Group

ICNF Recommendations Not to Approach Orca

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Noonsite has not independently verified this information.