• deDeutsch
  • enEnglish
Menu
  • English
  • German
  • HOME
  • OCEAN CONSERVATION
    • Plastic Pollution
    • UNDERWATER NOISE POLLUTION
    • DEEP-SEA MINING
  • ANIMAL & SPECIES CONSERVATION
    • Threats
    • Animal Rescue
    • Collisions
  • TAKE ACTION
    • I Care
    • Research Expeditions
    • Petitions
    • Tips
    • Newsletter
  • ABOUT OCEANCARE
    • Milestones
    • People
    • Mission statement
    • International Cooperation
    • Networks and Partners
    • Media
    • Annual Reports
    • Contact
  • DONATIONS
    • Donation
    • Legacy
    • Event Donation
    • Memorial Donation
  • STORIES & NEWS
    • Stories
    • News
    • Press Releases
    • Publications
Kollisionen Containerschiff SaveMoby
  • Story, Story
WhalesCollisions

Ship strikes: The urgent need to slow down vessels

A ship strike is a collision between any type of boat and large marine animals, such as whales, dolphins, marine turtles, sea lions, seals, sharks etc. Regardless of their type and size, all vessels have the potential to collide with marine species. Animals struck by boats, when they are not killed immediately, often suffer serious injuries and a slow and painful death. Ship strikes represent a serious conservation and welfare problem for marine wildlife in many regions around the globe, in particular large whales. OceanCare is therefore actively engaged in promoting existing and developing solutions.

Collisions pose a serious conservation and welfare problem. A ship strike can occur anywhere, but some regions are of particular concern, especially when main shipping lanes run directly through certain habitats, such as breeding or feeding grounds of large whale species, e.g.:

  • the South Coast of Sri Lanka (Blue whales)
  • the Hellenic Trench off Greece (Sperm whales)
  • the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana, New Zealand (Bryde’s whales)
  • the Canary Islands (Sperm whales)
  • the Northwest Mediterranean (Sperm whales and Fin whales)
  • the Northwest Atlantic (North Atlantic Right whales)

One obvious solution and multiple environmental benefits

No single technology can eliminate or significantly reduce the risk of ship strikes. Separating shipping lanes from habitats of large cetaceans is the best way of preventing collisions between vessels and whales. To identify potential re-routing options, it is important to understand the whales’ habitat. The efforts to identify important marine mammal areas (IMMAs) are of tremendous help and supported by OceanCare.

Wherever re-routing is not possible, vessel speed reduction is the most effective measure. Indeed, speed is the most significant factor in ship strikes. Not only is the impact of the collision less harmful with reduced speed, but both parties have more time to avoid each other and prevent a collision in the first place. In fact, it is the same as with road traffic with respect to people, which is why speed limits are set.

There is lots of scientific literature documenting the positive consequences of reducing vessel speed, such as by whale researcher Russell Leaper. A 10% reduction in speed across the global fleet would reduce the risk of ship strikes by 50% and would also result in very positive environmental effects reducing the ecological and climate footprint of shipping:

↘ Noise emissions by 40%
↘ Fuel consumption by 13%
↘ CO2 emissions by 13-19%

Other studies also document a reduction in:

↘ Black carbon emissions by 20%
↘ NOx and SOx emissions by 13%

Reducing speed doesn’t require any technological changes by the industry and also saves shipowners’ money on their fuel bills. It could even reduce costs more broadly: according to a study from the Öko-Institut e.V., for most of the scenarios considered, slower steaming will bring down transport costs.

But there is another challenge to generate such positive effects. An assessment of existing vessel speed reduction programs shows that they do not have significant economic impacts on shipping companies or on affected ports. But is also makes clear that if the reduction of speed remains a voluntary measure, it is ineffective in obtaining the necessary reductions in vessel speed. Therefore, OceanCare calls for introducing mandatory speed reduction as it would provide a level playing field for the shipping sector, achieve compliance and result in the reduction of ship strikes and emissions of several pollutants, including ocean noise as well as greenhouse gases.

Technical solutions as complementary measures

In some regions where threatened and endangered species and populations occur and crossing their homes can’t be avoided, speed reduction measures need to be accompanied by technical solutions to improve the detection and localisation of marine wildlife and communicate their presence to mariners. Some existing tools are being further developed, and some new ones are being elaborated. OceanCare funded the development and testing of SAvE Whales, the first ever integrated real-time localization system of sperm whales.

Photocredit: m.mphoto/shutterstock.com

Mit 150 Franken

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum
MEHR BEISPIELE
JETZT SPENDEN

More stories on protecting whales from collisions

Loading...
Schiffsbug Seeschifffahrt
Story

International Maritime Organisation (IMO)

Jetzt lesen
Aktuelles,Underwater Noise Pollution,Collision,Climate protection
Underwater Noise PollutionInternational CooperationCollisions
Pottwale
Story

Will «Moby Dick» disappear from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea?

Jetzt lesen
Save Whales,Sperm whales,Save Moby
WhalesCollisions
Blue whale breaching with cargo ship in background
Story

Hope for blue whales off Sri Lanka

Jetzt lesen
Sri Lanka,Ship strikes,Blue whale
WhalesCollisions
LOAD MORE STORIES
About OceanCare
OceanCare works with expertise and passion for ocean wildlife. Since 2011 with UN special consultative status for marine conservation.
Service
  • Contact
  • Annual reports
  • Media
  • Statutes
  • Legal Disclosure
  • Data Protection
Donations
OceanCare Gerbestrasse 6 CH-8820 Waedenswil (Switzerland) PostFinance, CH-3030 Bern IBAN: CH14 0900 0000 8006 0947 3
Electronic Message in a bottle for you
Subscribe to OceanCare´s e-newsletter and swim along on our news wave.
Follow us
Facebook Instagram Twitter Linkedin Youtube
Subscribe to our newsletter now

    About OceanCare
    OceanCare has been committed to marine wildlife protection since 1989.

    The organisation holds Special Consultative Status on marine issues with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
    Service
    • Contact
    • Annual reports
    • Media
    • Statutes
    • Legal Disclosure
    • Data Protection
    Donations

    OceanCare
    Gerbestrasse 6
    CH-8820 Waedenswil (Switzerland)

    Credit Suisse, CH-8810 Horgen
    IBAN: CH83 0483 5040 8744 0000 0
    BIC: CRESCHZZ80A

    Electronic Message in a bottle

    Subscribe to OceanCare’s e-newsletter and swim along on our news wave.

    Follow us
    Facebook Instagram Twitter Linkedin Youtube
    Subscribe to our newsletter now