44-foot dead whale found on bow of cruise ship in New York City

An endangered 44-foot whale was found dead on the bow of a cruise ship sailing toward New York City.

On Saturday, May 4, MSC Cruises’ MSC Meraviglia docked in Brooklyn Harbor, which is where the animal, identified as a mature female sei whale by the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, was discovered.

“We can confirm with deep regret that a whale was discovered on the bow of our ship on Saturday as it approached New York Harbor,” an MSC spokesperson said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

“We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an examination of the whale,” they added.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of marine life. We have comprehensive measures in place to help prevent collisions, such as training all of our deck officers with the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) and following regulations designed to protect whales and other marine life,” the statement continues.

“This includes altering itineraries in certain regions to avoid whales and we will continue to evaluate and update our procedures with our partners and authorities,” the company said. After calling in New York, the MSC Meraviglia sailed to ports in New England and Canada.

Sei whales are endangered and are typically seen in deeper waters, away from shore, according to a post shared by the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society on Facebook.

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“The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Office of Law Enforcement is investigating this incident. The whale was relocated and towed to shore in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to allow better access to heavy equipment and resources for perform a necropsy,” the added publication said.

NOAA Fisheries’ Andrea Gomez did not immediately respond to PEOPLE when approached for comment.

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society confirmed that “a necropsy (animal autopsy) examination revealed evidence of tissue trauma along the right shoulder blade region and a fracture of the right fin. The whale’s gastrointestinal tract was also full of food”.

“Most other organs were also sampled for toxicological and other life history studies,” the message added. “The tissue and bone samples collected will help biologists determine whether the vessel interaction occurred before or after death.”

According to the NOAA website, sei whales are fast swimmers that can reach speeds of more than 34 miles per hour, adding that the average sei whale eats about 2,000 pounds of food per day.

“Vessel strikes and entanglements pose the greatest threat to sei whales today,” the website states.