WORLD : Whale Has Hull of a Love Affair

A killer whale has been swimming alongside a Norwegian ferry for the last week, in what the captain said today looked like a case of whale courtship.

“It’s hard to say who fell in love with whom,” said Olav Mundal, captain of the ferry B-F Voksa. Passengers and crew are as taken with the black and white whale as the whale is with the black and white ship.

Mundal said the whale seldom leaves the ferry’s side as it sails a 12-mile route through a fjord near Aalesund. The 13-foot whale hugs the ship’s hull, sometimes gently bumps against it, and often sprays passengers with water. School classes have been buying tickets on the ferry to see it.