Dead whale found near Doha Bridge

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: The Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Department of Coast Guard and Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD), the Environment Public Authority (EPA), Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR), Kuwait Dive Team, and the Kuwait Ports Authority coordinated to deal with a dead whale of about 20 feet long as soon as a report was received regarding its presence near Doha Bridge, reports Al-Qabas daily.

Efforts were exerted by these state authorities to remove the dead whale from the navigation area inside Kuwait Bay in order to avoid marine accidents, as it was located in the area between the free trade zone and the Doha Bridge towards Shuwaikh Port, berth No. 15 in preparation for its lifting.

The boats of the Coast Guard, PAAAFR, and KFSD were supervised by EPA. The dead whale was found at the reported site area and transported to an appropriate location in preparation for lifting it using the available equipment and referring it to concerned authorities which will determine the reason behind its death.

The Technical Affairs Sector in EPA explained that the dead whale is of the “Balinese” type. Another one of the same kind was found dead in May 2020, and other such incidents were recorded near Failaka Island in 2014 and Qaruh Island in 2015.

EPA concluded that the causes of death among this species of whale in previous accidents were old age, illness, and starvation due to the scarcity of food, especially the small crustaceans found only in the oceans as well as their collision with ships that pass in the maritime shipping lines.

The size of these whales ranges from 13 to 15.5 meters. The female is usually larger than the male, and has baleen plates to filter small fish and shrimp (Krill) in the oceans where their habitats are found. They enter the Arabian Gulf rarely from the Indian Ocean through the Gulf of Oman.