Whales at risk: ten organisations urge Monaco to cancel electric boat world championship

According to the signatories, this high-speed event appears to contradict the Principality’s commitments to protecting marine biodiversity — particularly cetaceans — as well as the terms of the Pelagos Agreement.

The proposed race course is located within the Pelagos Sanctuary, designated as a Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI). It is also included in the Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) designated by the International Maritime Organization in 2023, and identified by ACCOBAMS as a high-risk zone for collisions between vessels and whales. Part of the course would also pass through the Marine Educational Area managed by the Monegasque Association for the Protection of Nature.

Many risks for marine mammals

While the participating boats are electric, the organizations believe that the absence of direct emissions is not enough to guarantee an environmentally friendly event. In particular, they warn of the risks of collisions with marine mammals, underwater noise pollution caused by speed and propeller cavitation, disturbance to wildlife, and the potential consequences of an accident involving electric batteries.

The ten organisations have therefore called on the Principality to cancel the race. Such a decision would send a strong signal to the international community and future generations: in Monaco, the protection of the Mediterranean and its biodiversity remains a concrete priority.

If the race proceeds, they demand that experienced marine mammal and turtle observers be deployed at the championship site and its surroundings, both before and during the competition, to prevent the risk of interactions and adjust the event’s schedule based on these observations (cancellation if the presence of cetaceans or turtles is confirmed). Measurements of underwater noise generated by the competition (at close range, 1 km, 5 km, and 10 km) must also be taken and analyzed.

Nicolas Entrup, Director of International Relations for OceanCare, says:

“Motorsport reaches its limits where it puts other living beings at risk. Even electric high-speed boats pose a serious danger to the dolphins and whales of this region — fin whales and sperm whales among them — through collisions and propeller injuries. Monaco in particular, which in Prince Albert II has one of the most steadfast advocates of ocean protection, could lead by example here and forgo such races.“

Signatories

OceanCare (Wädenswil, Switzerland)

BlueSeeds (Bordeaux, France)

EcoOcean Institut (Montpellier, France)

Ecopolis (Monaco)

Groupe de Recherche sur les Cétacés (Antibes, France)

Int. Center of AI for Natural Acoustics (Université de Toulon, France)

Istituto Tethys ETS (Milano, Italy)

LONGITUDE 181 « La voix de l’océan » (Valence, France)

Mare Vivu (San-Martino-di-Lota, France)

MIRACETI  (Martigues, France)

SOS Grand Bleu (Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France)