A Swiss-Italian cruise liner sailed into the Port of Brooklyn in New York with a 44-foot endangered sei whale splayed across its bow last weekend.
The Meraviglia, owned by cruise line MSC Cruises, arrived in New York on Saturday. The whale was dead and caught on the bow when the boat came to port.
Sei whales are found worldwide, and are known for diving deep and swimming fast. They are typically spotted far from coasts, and commonly appear in the Gulf of Maine during the summertime, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.
“We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an examination of the whale,” an MSC Cruises spokesperson told The Associated Press.
A necropsy of the whale conducted Tuesday by the nonprofit Atlantic Marine Conservation Society determined that it sustained damage to its right shoulder area, with its right flipper fractured.
The whale’s stomach was also full of food. Further analysis will determine whether its shoulder and flipper were damaged before or after it died.
The group’s lead scientist, Robert DiGiovanni, told the New York Post that a full stomach and plentiful blubber indicate that the adult female whale was healthy and likely died after being struck by the Meraviglia.