A whale could not tip over a cruise ship. Although even the largest of blue whales can weigh up to 200 tonnes, the largest cruise ships can weigh up to 220,000 or more. Some cruise ships would carry ten times more freshwater or fuel than the weight of even the largest whales.
Fin whales are the most likely species to be involved in a strike, followed by the humpback and sperm. The mammals were generally young and death was a common occurrence. In more than half of incidents there was no vessel damage, with only 7.4% reporting major damage and 3% reporting a total loss of a vessel.
Collisions with vessels can be fatal. When a whale or sea turtle is hit by a ship or another vessel, these gentle creatures are likely to die or suffer a horrific injury. Ship collisions have been identified as a significant human cause of baleen whales (mysticete) mortality [1].
The only way that a cruise ship would be able to be flipped over is if it took the wave hit perpendicular on the port or starboard side, along the beam. Most of the time, ships will aim to hit a wave bow-first.
Generally speaking though, a large cruise ship is designed to withstand waves that measure as high as 15-meters or nearly 50 foot waves. While Caribbean storms continue to increase in intensity and our measuring gets more accurate, this is enough to withstand up to the worst parts of the worst category 5 hurricanes.
'We all suffer from PTSD': 10 years after the Costa Concordia cruise disaster, memories remain. GIGLIO, Italy — Ten years have passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship slammed into a reef and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio.
Large passing ships are unlikely to see a whale, or may be unable to divert course if they do see one. A large ship creates something called a 'bow null effect' blocking the engine noise by the bow, creating a quiet zone in front of the vessel, and leaving a whale unaware of the pending threat.
With advance planning, vessels may avoid whale concentrations with a minimal increase to passage time. If travel through whale aggregations cannot be avoided, plan to reduce speed in areas where whales are likely, especially if sighting conditions are poor.
Tour operators say the chance of injury while swimming with whales is very small – one described it as “nearly nonexistent”. But expert open ocean divers, whale-watch operators and conservation scientists warn these new whale swimmers are not being fully informed about the variety of significant risks to life and limb.
Let's cut right to the chase: Yes, cruise ships are generally safe as long as you use common sense and remember that vessels are not impervious to accidents, illness or people who just don't know how to behave.
Little Grey and Little White traveled from Shanghai by land, sea and air — a Boeing 747 aircraft. Naturally, transporting two whales — each about 13 feet long — was a huge logistical headache. Trainers have been preparing the belugas for the journey and for their new life in open water.
And according to the International Whaling Commision (IWC), strikes are increasing. Its analysis suggests vulnerable species are at risk across the globe: from blue whales in Chile to sperm whales in the Mediterranean.
Watch orcas ram boat off Portugal
You can see chunks of boat float away. A 2022 study found that out of 49 attacks that year, whales damaged ships in about 73% of interactions. And 25% of those had to be towed back to port.
Whale struck by bow of a large vessel. PHILIPSBURG--Data of a study carried out by international sustainability programme Friend of the Sea shows that approximately 20.000 whales are killed every year due to collisions with vessels.
According to research carried out by non-profit Friend of the Sea, ship strikes kill more than 20,000 whales every year. This an alarming number, especially considering how close to extinction some species (such as the North Atlantic right whale) already are.
Small vessels involved in whale strikes have suffered cracked hulls, damage to propellers and rudders, and blown engines. Passengers on board have been knocked off their feet or even thrown in the air and been seriously injured.
Every year, up to 20,000 whales die because of lethal collisions with vessels. The image of a dead whale stuck in the bow of a vast container symbolizes this tragedy, however, most of the time, their bodies sink without leaving a trace that could show the magnitude of this phenomenon.
Whales that rely on acoustics to feed and hunt have an added challenge in avoiding ships. Killer whales, for example, vocalize extensively when feeding, socializing, and navigating. Ships add both noise and danger to the underwater soundscape.
Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that military sonar exercises actually kill marine wildlife? Unfortunately for many whales, dolphins and other marine life, the use of underwater sonar (short for sound navigation and ranging) can lead to injury and even death.
A giant whale sank a sailing crew's boat in the Pacific Ocean before the group was rescued at the end of an ordeal that could have come out of a novel.
Over the past 100 years since the RMS Titanic sank in 1912, only 18 cruise ships and some ocean liners have been publicly known to have sunk. And, over the past 50 years, only four cruise ships have sunk while navigating on a cruise.
Cruise ships sinking is a rare occurrence. This is due to the safety measures that the cruise industry has in place and the fact that modern-day cruise ships are designed to withstand extreme weather conditions. Most of us know the iconic story of the Titanic, which tragically sunk in 1912.
Both modes of transportation, flying, and sailing, are statistically considered safe methods of overseas travel. When talking about statistics, airplane accidents average one in 1.6 million flights per year. Cruise ships, however, have a much fewer number of accidents per year.
In the open water, the energy in a tsunami is distributed across its very long wavelength. But while a ship at sea might not feel a tsunami pass, the effects for ships at port when a tsunami hits can be devastating.