Orca rams into yacht off Shetland in first such incident in northern waters

Orca next to a boat in the strait of Gibraltar. The North Sea incident might be an example of northern orcas learning from those in the south, said an expert. Photograph: Jeroen Hoekendijk

An orca repeatedly rammed a yacht in the North Sea off Shetland on Monday, in a concerning development following previous interactions between the cetaceans and vessels in the strait of Gibraltar and Portugal.

Dr Wim Rutten, a 72-year-old retired Dutch physicist and experienced yachtsperson, was sailing solo from Lerwick to Bergen in Norway. He was fishing for mackerel, with a single line off the back of the boat, when the orca suddenly appeared in the clear water, and hit the stern of the seven-ton boat.