SAvE Whales: Second Year of Implementation was Successful

The SAvE Whales project (System for the Avoidance of ship-strikes with Endangered Whales) has successfully completed its second year of implementation, marking significant progress in developing and testing a complementary and innovative early warning system to prevent ship collisions with sperm whales in the Kythira Strait.

The project is being implemented through the collaboration of the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Natural Environment and Climate Change Organization (NECCA), The Green Tank, and OceanCare, with the scientific contribution of the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute and the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH). This work follows Greece’s commitment announced at the 9th Our Ocean Conference and the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation among the partners on June 18, 2024.

Sperm whales—the largest toothed whales on the planet—are an iconic but endangered species in the Mediterranean. Fewer than 200 individuals are estimated to remain in the eastern basin, a population perilously close to extinction. Their main threat today is collisions with passing vessels moving through their core habitat. The SAvE Whales project employs cutting-edge technology to detect sperm whales and alert ships in real time, making a tangible contribution to reducing collisions and protecting the species.

Field activities and progress

During the project’s second year:

• The second year of field research west of Kythira was successfully completed. The Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics of FORTH deployed a pilot buoy during the summer, collecting key data—such as power sufficiency and 4G broadband signal quality for communication and data transfer, as well as measurements of environmental noise levels (both natural and human-made)—which will inform the optimal design of the upgraded system.
• The Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute conducted systematic visual and acoustic surveys of sperm whales in the wider Kythira area, collecting data to evaluate the acoustic environment and verify the system’s effectiveness.
• The SAvE Whales Steering Committee met five times during the first year following the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation in June 2024, confirming the strong collaboration and coordination among all partners and contributors.
• The project’s progress was presented at a side event during the 10th Our Ocean Conference in Busan, South Korea, one year after its announcement as part of Greece’s 21 commitments at the 9th Our Ocean Conference in Athens. During the event, Arcadia Shipmanagement, a leading Greek shipping company, reaffirmed its commitment to test the system during its development phase.
• The main milestones of SAvE Whales’ second year were captured on video, showcasing the project’s most important actions and achievements.

Next steps

The main goal for the coming years is the effective development, full operation, and establishment of the SAvE Whales system, with the aim of delivering it to NECCA by 2028, which will then assume its operation, monitoring, and maintenance. In the coming months, data collected during the first two years will be processed and analyzed to further develop and optimize the system.

At the same time, informative meetings with competent public authorities and exploratory discussions with representatives of the shipping sector are underway, aiming at joint preparation for the system’s integration into relevant regulatory frameworks and its incorporation into ships’ operational procedures.

Video excerpts with quotes from the project partners

“The SAvE Whales Project is developed in the area where we’ll establish the Ionian Marine Park. It’s going to be a tangible instrument operating in an area that will be under the spotlight for the years to come,” underlined Petros Varelidis, Secretary General for the Natural Environment and Water, Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy.

“The day the SAvE Whales system will be deployed and will be functional and the day that the marine park for sperm whales and the other cetaceans along the Hellenic Trench will be in place with real conservation measures, will be the final victory for the sperm whales. Our goal is for sperm whales to live, communicate, and move safely within their social units, without being threatened by human activity in the area” said Alexandros Frantzis, PhD in Biological Oceanography, Founder and Scientific Director, Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute.

“The SAvE Whales project combines science, technology, and collaboration. The next major step is to identify a partner from the industrial world to produce the exact buoy. I am very optimistic that we’ll find the ideal partner to go ahead with,” said Nicolas Entrup, Director, International Relations, OceanCare.

“Our plan for this year is to install a SWAN Acoustic Station west of the island of Kythira for a period of two months, July and August, during which it will automatically provide the notifications for sperm whale detections in real time,” said Emmanouil Skarsoulis, Research Director, Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH).

“Upon the completion of the project, the NECCA administration will undertake the operation, the control and the maintenance of the system,” noted Dimitris Barelos, Management Unit of The Southern Peloponnese Protected Areas, Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NECCA).

“Over the past year, the SAvE Whales steering committee has met five times, and I am impressed by the collaborative spirit and the drive of purpose among all participants,” said Ioli Christopoulou, Partner and Policy Director, The Green Tank.