A cruise ship docked in the Canadian port of Vancouver on Saturday with a dead fin whale stuck to its bow. The captain of the ship said he had noticed no sign of a collision with the 21-meter long mammal.

The Canadian Ministry of Fisheries is to carry out an investigation to determine whether the mammal was alive or dead at the time it struck the ship.

The company that owns the ship says it has strict guidelines for its vessels if they find themselves in the same waters as a whale. If this happens, the ship must reduce its speed and choose another route.

The fin whale, also known as the finback whale, is the second largest type of whale in the world. Only the blue whale is bigger.

Photo of finback whale by Mark Blevis (flickr)