Ambassador Cruise Line has issued an apology to passengers onboard its ship Ambition (formally AIDAmira) after many witnessed a so called traditional whale hunt or “Grindadráp” while the ship was docked in the Faroese capital of Torshavn last Sunday (9th July.)
Image courtesy of Andy Johnson/CPWF)
According to reports late in the afternoon, passenger’s onboard bore witness to the mass hunt and its messy aftermath, during which 78 long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) were driven by a flotilla of over 40 small boats and jet-skis into shallow waters.
Passengers watched on in horror as a group of 150 people then hauled the animals ashore with hooks and others armed with killing lances slaughtered the animals in the space of 20 minutes. The aftermath of this event turned the sea around the shoreline blood red.
Also onboard at the time were conservationists from the UK based whale and dolphin charity ORCA that is dedicated to the protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans) in European waters.
Image courtesy of (ORCA UK)
According to a blog post on their website the arrival of the Ambition coincided with the culmination of the sixth hunt of 2023, resulting in the slaughter of 78 pilot whales in the port area, including 9 tiny calves estimated as being no more than a month old. The charity also said the Faroes were “flaunting the hunt” in front of tourists, many of whom had specifically come to enjoy seeing whales and dolphins in their natural environment. They observed that some of the pilot whales, including a calf, took well over 30 seconds to die.
Image courtesy of (ORCA UK)
The following day the cruise line issued an apology to guests in which it reiterated its own stance on whale hunting and ocean conservation in general.
“Ambassador can confirm that the arrival of Ambition in Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands on Sunday 9 July coincided with the culmination of a hunt of 78 pilot whales in the port area. We were incredibly disappointed that this hunt occurred, particularly at a time when our ship was in port and have offered our sincere apologies to all those on board who may have witnessed this distressing occurrence.“ the cruise line stated.
In the statement the cruise line went on to say;
“We are utterly opposed to the commercial hunting of whales and dolphins in the Faroes, or anywhere else come to that. While traditional hunts of this type have taken place for many years in the Faroe Islands to sustain local communities, we strongly object to this outdated practice, which we believe is now becoming commercial, with meats sold in local supermarkets, for example.“
Onboard Ambition for this cruise were where both Ambassador’s CEO, Christian Verhounig, and ORCA’s CEO, Sally Hamilton, who are both onboard hosting ‘in conversation with’ and FAQ sessions that offer guests the opportunity to learn more about our journeys in sustainable travel & tourism and conservation.
The cruise line has been working with the charity since 2021, and the partnership includes the first-ever cruise line “Anti-Whaling” campaign with Ambassador calling on the Faroese government to ban the practice altogether.
Image courtesy of (ORCA UK)
What is a Grindadráp or Grind
Whaling has taken place in the Faroe Islands for the past 1,000 years. Every year, annual hunts – known as the grindadráp – takes place, commonly known as “the grind.” It typically takes place between July and September and can happen at any time, when a pod of whales or dolphins are spotted at any one of the 26 designated killing bays around the islands.
Image courtesy of (ORCA UK)
Once spotted locals use boats and jet skis to herd the whales into a designated bay. They then use hooks, ropes, and mønustingari (a Faroese knife designed to cut through whales’ spines) to capture and kill the animals. According to the Faroese the hunts are non-commercial e.g the meat is not exported and is kept for themselves and distributed amongst the community as free food, however there have been accounts of carcasses being left to rot or being dumped.
According to the non-profit marine conservation Sea Shepherd Faroese hunts lead to the death of up to 1,000 pilot whales and other dolphins a year, the hunts are very stressful and brutal for the animals with some taking many minutes to die.
In 2021, the Faroese government was forced to launch a review after 1,423 dolphins were killed in just one hunt. Following this, they announced an annual catch limit of 500 dolphins. Pilot whales are also a protected species in the EU.
For many years there have been calls from many environmental organisations including Greenpeace, ORCA, Sea Shepherd, Whale and Dolphin Conservation together with a growing number of Faroese for these out dated and cruel hunts to stop.
The Ambition was sailing an 11-night “Iceland’s Land of Ice & Fire” itinerary that departed Belfast on Thursday, July 6, and called at Liverpool prior to the stop in Torshavn.
Together with Ambassador the following cruise lines all have ships visiting Torshavn this year AIDA, Azamara Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Fred Olsen, Explora Journey’s, National Geographic, Holland America, Hurtigruten, Oceania Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Phoenix Reisen, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea, Viking Cruises and Windstar Cruises.
I personally think its time for the industry along with CLIA to look at whether it thinks its still acceptable to visit the Faroes as a destination while this practice continues.
What do you think? should cruise lines boycott the Faroes? let me know in the comments.
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