--- title: "A Cruise Ship Pulled Up for a Beautiful View. Then Blood Started Turning the Water Red" description: "Luxury cruise ship passengers were exposed to a grizzly sight after docking at the Faroe Islands capital: the slaughtering of pilot whales." date: "2023-07-13" modified: "2023-07-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cruise-ship-view-blood-water-whales" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "cruise ship" - "dolphins" - "the digest" --- # A Cruise Ship Pulled Up for a Beautiful View. Then Blood Started Turning the Water Red ![Luxury cruise ship passengers were exposed to a grizzly sight after docking at the Faroe Islands capital: the slaughtering of pilot whales.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Red Wave Luxury cruise ship passengers were exposed to a grisly sight after docking at the Faroe Islands capital of Tórshavn over the weekend. Specifically, locals were in the process of butchering 78 long-finned pilot whales — a type of dolphin — in the adjacent bay, tinting the surrounding waters with blood, [*Yahoo News* reports](). It was such a traumatizing view that the cruise ship operator Ambassador Cruise Line issued an apology on Monday, [writing that]() "we strongly object to this outdated practice." "Ambassador can confirm that the arrival of Ambition in Torshavn in the Faroe Islands today coincided with the culmination of a hunt of 40+pilot whales in the port area," the company [wrote](). "We were incredibly disappointed that this hunt occurred at the time that our ship was in port." ## The Slaughter The yearly practice of hunting and slaughtering pilot whales, dubbed grindadráp, dates back hundreds of years in the autonomous Danish territory, a group of 18 volcanic islands between Iceland and Norway. The tradition involves hunters forming a circle of boats around the helpless animals and driving them into a shallow bay. Once beached, they are slaughtered by men armed with knives. More than 500 dolphins have been killed since hunting resumed in May, [*Agence France-Presse* reported]() in mid-June. The practice has drawn plenty of criticism, with activist and [conservationist groups]() opposing the slaughter. Volunteer pressure group Blue Planet Society [called]() the most recent hunt "another sickening massacre of pilot whales." Locals, however, have historically defended the hunt. "We are very proud of this practice and we will continue as long as we decide," Faroese whale expert Bjarni Mikkelsen [told *Yahoo News*]() in May. Other netizens had a straightforward solution to save future cruise ship passengers from watching the slaughtering of pilot whales. "It's simple," one user [wrote](), responding to Ambassador's apology. "Exclude Faroe Islands from your route completely. Just don't support their economy in any way until they stop. You have this power. Use it." **More on sea animals:** *[Mischievous Sea Otter Keeps Stealing Surfboards]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()