Five people were rescued this Sunday, after an encounter with Orcas, off the coast of Sines.
The sailboat sank after the curious, juvenile Orcas, were attracted by the movement and noise of the vessels.
“The five crew members, of Portuguese nationality, were rescued by the fishing vessel “Festas André”, which was close to the sinking sailboat” , writes the Navy in a press release.
According to the document, the Navy, through the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Lisbon, in conjunction with the Captain of the Port of Sines, coordinated this rescue operation at dawn.
The five crew members were “on the life raft after the sailboat on which they were following had sunk after meeting with orcas, about 11 kilometres from Sines”, in the district of Setúbal.
“The interaction with these mammals occurs mainly due to the curious behavior of juvenile orcas, which, attracted by the mobile and noisy structures of the boats, such as the rudder and the propeller. They can approach the boats excessively and crash into the mobile structures, with an cause total or partial rupture of the rudder”, warn theMRCC.
“In case of sighting of these mammals, it is recommended that all mariners turn off the engine, in order to inhibit the rotation of the propeller, and immobilize the rudder door, thus discouraging these mammals from interacting with the moving structures of the vessels”.
Source https://postal.pt/
