Princess Cruise Ship Returns To Seattle After Dead Whale Found On Bow

Seattle, United States (AHN) – Nearly three days after a dead whale was found pinned to a Princess Cruise while it was on a voyage to Alaska, the cruise ship on Sunday returned to Seattle. This was the third such incident involving Princess Cruises since 2001 when a dead adult female humpback whale was discovered pinned to the Sapphire Princess ship’s bulbous bow as it prepared to dock in Alaska’s Juneau after completing its voyage from Ketchikan.

The 43ft long whale was found around 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday, forcing Sapphire Princess to stop south of Douglas Island until the fish was removed.

Amid reports that the whale must have died before it was found on the bow, biologists conducted a necropsy on Friday to find out the exact cause of death on the animal. Humpback whales are an endangered species under the Marine Mammal Act.

However, it remains unknown at this time if any legal action will be taken against the company.

Last year, the company was involved in another discovery of dead whale. This time the whale was found stuck to its bow upon its return to Vancouver.

The firm had paid $750,000 in compensation in 2007 after a pregnant whale was found dead just outside Alaska’s Glacier Bay in 2001. Princess never admitted striking the whale, however, it confessed that Dawn Princess, one of its vessels, failed to operate at a safe speed around whales.

Princess, on Sunday, claimed that it was fully cooperating with investigators.

The bow, which is designed to reduce drag and helps in increasing speed and stability, comes through from the bowline of large ships just below the waterline.

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