Cruise ship incident investigated after arriving in New York City with dead whale on its bow

An investigation is under way after a cruise ship journeyed in to New York City's famous harbour with an endangered dead whale visible across the front of its bow.

The incident involved an MSC Cruises ship, the Meraviglia, which had been heading in to New York before continuing on its journey towards New England and then Canada.

Arriving in the American city last weekend (4 May), onlookers were shocked to see a 44-foot whale corpse on the nose of the cruise ship, called the bow.

MSC said it was fully co-operating with authorities on the incident.

A statement from the Geneva-based company said: "We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an examination of the whale.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of any marine life."

The deceased whale found on the bow of the MSC Cruise ship. (Michael McKenna / Marine Mammal Stranding Center)

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, a charity promoting marine conservation, has since carried out a necropsy [animal autopsy] on the whale following the discovery in the Port of Brooklyn.

"The whale has been identified as a 44-foot, mature female sei whale," a charity spokesperson said.

"Sei whales are endangered, and are typically observed in deeper waters far from the coastline. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Law Enforcement is investigating this incident.

"The whale was relocated and towed to shore at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to allow for better access to heavy equipment and resources to conduct a necropsy."

The whale during the necropsy. (Michael McKenna / Marine Mammal Stranding Center)

Releasing the findings of the whale autopsy, the conservation society said there was evidence of 'tissue trauma along the right shoulder blade region and a right flipper fracture'.

"The whale’s gastrointestinal tract was also full of food," it said. For context, an average sei whale eats about 2,000 pounds of food per day.

Images shared by the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society show its staff and volunteers examining the whale carcass on the Sandy Hook shoreline.

The whale on the bow of the ship. (YouTube / Pablo Santa Cruz)

What is yet to be determined either way is if the cruise ship played any part in the death of the whale.

The sei whale is known to be an extremely fast swimmer and can travel through the water at more than 30 miles per hour.

Weighing up to 100,000 pounds, their usual lifespan is 50 to 70 years.

MSC Cruises stated that the cruise line follows all regulations designed to protect whales, such as altering itineraries in certain regions to avoid hitting them. No other statement has been issued at this time.