‘It’s like putting a whale in a blender’: the rise of deadly ship collisions in Chile

On average, five fatal whale strikes occur in the country's waters each year, the highest in the world - and just a fraction of the total number killed, say researchers

• Photographs by Francis Perez

The memory of a blue whale gliding past his small boat haunts Patricio Ortiz. A deep wound disfigured the cetacean's giant body - a big chunk had been ripped from its dorsal fin. Cargo ships are the only adversary capable of inflicting such harm on a blue whale, he says.

Nothing can be done when they're up against those floating monsters."