A tanker accidentally carried a dead whale on its bow to the Japanese Port of Mizushima, authorities said. According to the Mizushima Coast Guard's Office, the 12-metre-long carcass, weighing around five tonnes, belonged to a Bryde's whale.
A dreadful photo depicting the whale's fin stuck in the bow was published in the Japanese press following the incident.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), accidental ship collisions are a major cause of death among whale populations.