Cruise ship sails into New York City port with dead 44-foot endangered whale across its bow

A cruise ship sailed into a New York City port with a dead 44-foot-long endangered whale across its bow, marine authorities said.

The whale, identified as an endangered Sei whale, was caught on the ship's bow when it arrived at the Port of Brooklyn on Saturday, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries spokesperson Andrea Gomez said. The whale was on the MSC Meraviglia, which docked at Brooklyn before sailing to ports in New England and Canada.

While it is too soon to tell whether the whale was dead prior to running into the cruise ship, a chief scientist has said it was more than likely that the interaction with the vessel caused the whale's death. Officials with the cruise line said in a statement: "We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an examination of the whale."

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"We are deeply saddened by the loss of any marine life," the officials said. They added that the Geneva-based MSC Cruises follows all regulations designed to protect whales, such as altering itineraries in certain regions to avoid hitting the animals.

The dead whale was relocated to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and towed to shore there to allow for better access to equipment and to conduct a necropsy The necropsy, an autopsy on an animal, was conducted on Tuesday, Gomez said.

The whale's right flipper had broken bones, and there was evidence of tissue trauma along the right shoulder blade region. Samples collected from the whale would help biologists determine whether it was already dead when it was struck by the ship, she said.

Rob DiGiovanni, the founder and chief scientist of the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, however, told the New York Post that is was likely "interaction with the vessel contributed to [the whale's] death." Mr DiGiovanni said it "looks like she was eating", indicating she was a healthy whale with relatively fresh food in her stomach.

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Sei whales, one of the largest whale species and internationally protected, are usually spotted in deeper waters far from the coast, according to Gomez.

Sidney Sterling, director of media relations for MSC Cruises, said: "We have comprehensive measures in place to help avoid collisions, such as training all our deck officers with the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) and we follow regulations designed to protect whales and other marine life.

"This includes altering itineraries in certain regions to avoid whales and we will continue to evaluate and update our procedures with our partners and the authorities."