A transport vessel carrying a humpback whale stranded off Germany’s Baltic coast for weeks is nearing the North Sea after a days-long journey, tracking data showed on Friday.
The ship was located about 11 nautical miles from Denmark’s northernmost town early on Friday, according to the Vesselfinder maritime tracking site.
The strait between Skagen, the east coast of Norway and the Swedish west coast is considered the gateway to the North Sea.
The male humpback, which has been nicknamed Timmy by German media, was stuck in shallow waters off the town of Wismar for four weeks before volunteers managed to transfer it onto a barge on Tuesday.
The transport vessel, which is filled with water and being pulled by a tug, set off towards the North Sea, where Timmy is to be set free.
The 12-metre, 12-ton male got repeatedly stuck off Germany’s Baltic coast before stranding in the Bay of Wismar.
Authorities and experts soon determined that the most animal-friendly path forward would be to let the whale die in peace, but a private initiative backed by the founder of popular electronics retailer MediaMarkt refused to give up, launching another bid to rescue Timmy.
The aim now is to release the whale in the deep waters of the North Sea, from where it could return to its natural habitat in the Atlantic.
However, some experts believe Timmy has become severely disoriented and it remains unclear how the animal will react after it is set free.
Danish authorities told dpa that they would not launch a rescue attempt should the whale become stranded again.
The Danish Environment Ministry noted that strandings of marine mammals are “a naturally occurring phenomenon”and whales should generally “not be rescued or disturbed by human intervention.”