Cruise ship arrives in New York with dead whale on bow

NEW YORK (AP) — A cruise ship pulled into a New York City port with a 13-meter-long dead whale across its bow, maritime authorities said.

The whale, identified as an endangered sei whale, was caught on the bow of the ship as it arrived in Brooklyn Harbor on Saturday, said Andrea Gomez, fisheries spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

An MSC Cruises spokesman said the whale was on the MSC Meraviglia, which docked in Brooklyn before heading to ports in New England and Canada.

“We immediately notified the appropriate authorities, who are now conducting an investigation into the whale,” cruise line officials said in a statement.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of any marine life,” the officials said, adding that Geneva-based cruise line MSC Cruises is following all regulations to protect the whales, such as changing itineraries in certain regions to allow an encounter with the animals to avoid.

The dead whale was moved to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and towed ashore to allow better access to equipment and to conduct a necropsy, Gomez said.

The autopsy — an autopsy on an animal — was performed Tuesday, Gomez said. Samples collected from the whale will help biologists determine whether it was already dead when it was hit by the ship, she said.

Sei whales are typically observed in deeper waters far from shore, Gomez said. They are one of the largest whale species and are internationally protected.