Video footage of a plea for help to the authorities was recorded aboard the sailing ship Santa Barbara and exposes moments of panic experienced by the crew when they saw their vessel with a damaged rudder from an animal attack about a mile from shore.
The alarm led to the intervention of the Instituto de Socorros a Náufragos, who towed the sailboat to port. It happened on Saturday, after killer whales were sighted in the Comporta area in the last few days as they advanced towards cm Fountain of the Port Authority of Setúbal.
In February of this year, seven members of the crew of a ship sailing from Sesimbra were rescued after being interrogated by a group of five killer whales. The ship’s steering was damaged and the ship drifted.
The Institute for Conservation of Nature and Forests recommends that all sailors, if they see these mammals, turn off the engine to slow down the rotation of the propeller, discouraging the animals from interacting with the moving structures of ships.