Pregnant Endangered Fin Whale Killed In Collision With Royal Caribbean Ship In Alaska

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click one, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
You can receive cruise news updates straight to your inbox, so you don't miss a thing! Subscribe here.

Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas arrived in Seward, Alaska, on 19th June 2026 carrying the carcass of a pregnant endangered fin whale on its bow, with federal investigators later confirming the animal died from injuries consistent with a ship strike.

The 61-foot female fin whale was discovered draped across the vessel’s bulbous bow when the 4,180-guest cruise ship completed a one-way Alaska sailing from Vancouver.

Dead fin whale Ovation of the Seas

The ship had called at Sitka, Juneau and Skagway before arriving in Seward, where the whale was immediately removed for examination.

A necropsy conducted by marine wildlife specialists revealed the whale had suffered severe blunt force trauma to the spine, ribs and jaw. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the injuries were consistent with a collision involving a vessel.

Investigators also determined that the whale was pregnant at the time of its death.

“The examination revealed that the whale was pregnant, freshly dead, and in good nutritional condition, with plenty of blubber and muscle,” NOAA Fisheries Alaska said following the necropsy.

The whale’s body was initially covered with a tarp after the ship docked before being transported to a protected lagoon near Lowell Point, south of the Seward cruise terminal, where the examination was carried out.

Fin whales are the second-largest whale species on Earth and can grow to around 85 feet in length and weigh up to 80 tons. The species is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and is also protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Federal authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement has appealed for information from anyone who may have knowledge relating to the whale’s death.

Royal Caribbean Responds

Royal Caribbean Group confirmed that one of its vessels was involved in the incident and said it is cooperating fully with investigators.

Credit: Kaiti Grant / Alaska SeaLife Center

“We are deeply saddened by the whale incident involving one of our ships en route to Seward and take any impact to marine life with the utmost seriousness,” a company spokesperson said.

“We are cooperating fully with NOAA, and we will partner with them following their final investigative findings. Our respect for the ocean is at the core of everything we do.”

Despite the incident, Ovation of the Seas maintained its schedule and departed Seward on its next voyage without delay.

The vessel is operating alternating northbound and southbound Alaska cruises between Vancouver and Seward throughout the 2026 season. It is also the first Royal Caribbean ship to regularly use Seward’s new Dale R. and Carol Ann Lindsey Alaska Railroad Terminal, which opened earlier this month.

Calls For Cruise Ships To Slow Down

The incident has prompted renewed calls for stricter measures to protect whales in busy shipping corridors.

Following confirmation of the whale strike, the Center for Biological Diversity sent a letter to Royal Caribbean urging the company to require its ships to travel at 10 knots or less when passing through important whale habitats.

Ovation of the Seas

The organisation said vessel strikes remain one of the leading causes of death for large whales and argued that lower speeds significantly reduce the risk of fatal collisions.

“I’m infuriated that this supersized cruise ship hit an endangered whale in such a horrific way,” said Cooper Freeman, Alaska director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

“The death of this mother and baby fin whale sets back the entire population. Royal Caribbean must be held accountable for this gruesome death and take immediate action to avoid this happening again.”

Freeman also called for greater transparency about the circumstances surrounding the collision, including the ship’s speed and whether whales had been detected in the area before the impact.

The conservation group noted that, aside from Alaska Native subsistence harvests, killing a whale is prohibited under federal law, including accidental deaths involving endangered species. The organisation is also pursuing separate legal action against the U.S. Coast Guard over whale protection measures in shipping lanes off the U.S. West Coast.

Not The First Cruise Ship Whale Strike

While rare, this is not the first time a cruise ship has arrived in port carrying a whale on its bow.

In 2016, Holland America Line’s Zaandam arrived in Seward with a dead juvenile fin whale in a similar incident. Investigators ultimately determined the cruise line had followed recommended procedures, including maintaining advised speeds and posting lookouts.

More recently, MSC Cruises’ MSC Meraviglia arrived in New York in 2024 with a dead whale lodged on its bow.

Marine scientists have long warned that large modern ships can pose risks to whales, particularly in regions where busy shipping routes overlap with feeding grounds and migration corridors.

While cruise lines have adopted measures aimed at reducing underwater noise and minimising environmental impacts, conservationists continue to push for mandatory speed restrictions in areas known to be frequented by whales.

The investigation into the Ovation of the Seas incident remains ongoing.

NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!

Don’t miss the latest Royal Caribbean offers…

Related Posts

If you found this interesting, please share!


Jenni with Disney Cruise ship at Castaway Cay


Leave a comment