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NEWS > BUSINESS > CRUISE DELAYED AFTER ENDANGERED HUMPBACK ATTACKS BOAT
CRUISE DELAYED AFTER ENDANGERED HUMPBACK ATTACKS SHIP
August 2 2010
Douglas Island, AK – For most of our history sea travel has been largely utilitarian. Whether it was used for transporting goods or engaging in warfare, virtually every sea vessel created before the 20th century was created for a necessary purpose. Those 
vessels are still important today particularly in our global economy but much of the heavy lifting done by those vessels has now been undertaken by planes and trucks. That has left much of the seas open for other purposes including exploration by the masses.
Pleasure boating has been around for many years but it was only in the latter half of the last century that it became accessible to ordinary people. The success of the cruise industry has allowed ordinary people to take to the seas in the type of style and convenience that was once the sole domain of the wealthy. Now with the largest ships in the world and billions of dollars in revenue every year, the cruise industry has brought the people to the seas in ways our ancestors could have dreamt. A dream vacation though is exactly what the travellers on a luxury cruise liner in Alaska thought they were getting, but that dream turned into a nightmare after an endangered humpback whale slammed head on into the vessel, killing itself and causing major delays in travel plans.
“We were surprised and concerned by this discovery, as the ship felt no impact. It is 
unknown how or when this could have happened, as we were not aware that any whales were sighted in close proximity to the ship when the whale was discovered,” said a spokesperson for Princess Cruises. “We have strict whale avoidance procedures in place when our ships are in the vicinity of marine life. We are fully cooperating with the investigation but at this point it appears that the animal did collide with our vessel. All passengers and crew are safe and are continuing onwards on their dream voyage with Princess.”
The cruise line had a similar incident in 2009 with a Fin whale and another in 2007 with a pregnant and ‘aggressive’ Humpback. In both cases neither vessel was significantly damaged.
“I’ve personally been on one of these Alaskan cruises and I can tell you that it is a 
great experience. It’s expensive but it’s worth every minute. It’s really untouched land, so different from what we see every day. It’s the real beauty of the natural world on display,” said Scrape TV Business analyst Ken Green. “It’s great seeing the whales as well. Seeing them on TV is really not the same thing as seeing them in real life. They really are magnificent animals. I guess though that a few of them are a little ill tempered and perhaps even a little stupid. We will never know what caused this particular whale to try and attack a giant boat or what it thought it might accomplish but maybe it’s for the best that this particular one is dead.”
The Sapphire Princess was originally equipped with massive spikes on its bow in an effort to dissuade such marine assaults but those implements impeded with docking procedures.
“Cruises are at accessible prices but they are still expensive. For most people it is the trip of lifetime. They spend all year working and saving and then they are forced to endure delays and dramas like this. It’s really unfair and the cruise industry should take steps to ensure that such things don’t continue to happen in the future,” continued Green. “I don’t know what the answer is. You want people to see the whales, I mean that’s part of the appeal, but you have these aggressive jerks attacking your vessels. Obviously, you can’t go out and kill every whale but you also don’t want people enduring these delays. It’s a tough spot to be sure.”
All passengers received a coupon for their next voyage. The dead whale was pulled into deeper water and dumped.
William Ashford, Business Correspondent
NEWS > BUSINESS > CRUISE DELAYED AFTER ENDANGERED HUMPBACK ATTACKS BOAT
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