Humpback whale struck, lodged on oil tanker's bow

Wildlife officials say an oil tanker struck an endangered humpback whale and carried its carcass on its bow into Alaska's Port Valdez.

Crewmen on an escort vessel spotted the 12-15 metre whale along the water line of the tanker Kodiak when the ship docked late Tuesday.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokeswoman Sheila McLean says the whale was lodged on the bulbous protrusion of the ship's bow.

Valdez residents say they can't remember a similar incident in the 30 years that tankers have been pulling in to pick up oil from the trans-Alaska pipeline.

Officials say they don't know if the whale was alive when it was struck by the ship on Monday.

Federal officials plan to tow the carcass to sea and sink it.