Matt Miller

JUNEAU, ALASKA (2010-07-29) Federal Fisheries officials are investigating a collision between a cruise ship and a whale.

As the Sapphire Princess approached Juneau on Wednesday, the crew of a smaller vessel reported seeing a whale lodged on the ship's bulbous bow.


A tug boat with divers pulled the whale off the cruise ship near the south end of Douglas Island before the Sapphire Princess pulled into Juneau at about 4 p.m.

National Marine Fisheries Service Spokeswoman Julie Speegle says agents from NMFS's Office of Law Enforcement and Protected Resources Division will interview the ship's crew.

Still unknown is the gender, size, age or species of the whale, or whether it was already sick or dead when it was hit.

Speegle says it could be unsightly for some tourists, as well as a biological hazard bringing such a large carcass into a highly-populated area for a necropsy.

Kirby Day of Princess Cruises says the Sapphire Princess did not report a collision or whale sighting after leaving Ketchikan Tuesday afternoon.

As the investigation is just getting underway, Speegle says it's premature to discuss any possible action or penalties against the crew or cruise line.

This is the second time the Sapphire Princess has struck a whale in the last year. The ship pulled into Vancouver, B.C. last July with a dead fin whale impaled on the bow.