Boxship Carries Dead Whale into New Zealand Harbour

Tauranga Port New Zealands Tauranga Harbour welcomed a containership carrying a dead 14-meter whale on its front part on October 4. The whale, believed to be a Brydes whale, was dead when the unnamed vessel berthed at the port, according to New Zealands Department of Conservation (DOC). The container vessel came from Brisbane and it is not known where it encountered the whale. DOC Tauranga Rotorua District Operations Manager Jeff Milham said it appears to have just been an unfortunate incident at sea. The carcass was removed from the ship in the late afternoon hours on October 4 and secured in a safe location in Tauranga Harbour overnight. We are now working with Tauranga Moana iwi to arrange for an appropriate location for the carcass to be disposed of, Milham said. Subject to having an appropriate site, the whale carcass was likely to be moved on full tide on October 5.