Watch: Humpback whale entangled in net in Oman freed

Muscat: A humpback whale, a species known as the gentle giant of the ocean, entangled in net for more than two days near the port of Duqm in Oman, was rescued by a team of specialists from the Environment Authority, Five Oceans Environmental Services LLC, Oman’s Coast Guard, Royal Oman Police (ROP) and Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO).

The video of the whale being released into the sea after the operation was met by a sigh of relief among those that were following the rescue operation news.

The whale was located on January 19 afternoon and the complex operation to disentangle it began. However, the laborious task could not be finished as night fell, but when the team of specialists returned on Wednesday morning, the whale was no longer in the port. The next two days were spent locating the whale, as there was no confirmation if the whale was off the tangled net completely.

In a series of Tweets, shared by Port of Duqm Company, it was confirmed two days later, on January 21, that the humpback whale had been disentangled from the net and released into the sea, where it was seen splurging and surging ahead freely. “We are pleased to share with you footage taken by the ROP Coastguard which we hope is evidence that the whale was successfully able to break free from the remaining fishing nets and is now safe.”

The dedicated team of specialists who have been working in this exercise were assisted by the IWC Global Whale Entanglement Network, the Port of Duqm, ROP Coastguard and RAFO.