by Sarah Kuta
Last updated: 1:05 PM ET, Wed June 24, 2026
A Royal Caribbean Group cruise ship arrived in Seward, Alaska, with a dead fin whale on its bow.
The incident involved a 61-foot-long, pregnant female endangered fin whale, which was found dead "on top of the ship’s bulbous bow” on June 19, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Alaska.
A necropsy later revealed blunt force trauma consistent with a ship strike as the cause of death.
“The examination revealed that the whale was pregnant, freshly dead, and in good nutritional condition, with plenty of blubber and muscle,” according to NOAA Fisheries Alaska.
The NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement asked anyone with information about the whale’s death to call its 24-hour hotline.
According to Alaska News Source, the ship involved was Royal Caribbean International’s Ovation of the Seas.
Fin whales are massive, growing to up to 85 feet long and weighing up to 80 tons. They live throughout the world’s oceans, where they feast on krill, small schooling fish and squid. The species is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
In a statement shared with TravelPulse, a Royal Caribbean Group spokesman confirmed the incident involved one of the company’s vessels.
“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,” the 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.”
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